Smriti Irani dares Rahul Gandhi to take out money from tea traders and to contest polls in Gujarat
Vansda, Feb 16: Union minister and BJP MP Smriti Irani on Tuesday dared Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to "take out money" from the pockets of small tea traders of Gujarat and to contest elections from the state if he has "guts".
She also alleged the Congress' "hatred and prejudice" towards Gujarat and its people was not new, "as Rahul Gandhi and his party had objected to the proposal to build the Statue of Unity in the memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat".
Irani was referring to the remarks made by the former Congress chief at a poll rally in Assam in which he spoke about hiking the daily wage of tea workers by making tea garden owners from Gujarat pay, if his party is voted to power in that state.
"Rahul Gandhi recently said in a rally in Assam that he will take out money from the pockets of small tea traders of Gujarat. Earlier, they (Congress) had issues with the tea seller (PM Narendra Modi), and now they have problems with those who drink tea," Irani said at a public rally for upcoming elections to local bodies held at Vansda town in Navsari district.
"I want to challenge Rahul Gandhi to try ('azma lo') Gujarat if he has guts. I also challenge him to contest polls from Gujarat. That will clear all his misconceptions," the Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development said.
Rahul Gandhi had said the Congress will hike the daily wages of tea garden workers if voted to power in Asasam.
"Tea garden workers of Assam get Rs 167 per day, while traders from Gujarat get tea gardens. The Congress will put Rs 365 as daily wage into the pockets of the tea garden workers. Now you will ask me where will the money come from?...It will come from the traders of Gujarat," he had said.
Irani said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of Gujarat had come up with the idea of constructing a grand monument dedicated to Sardar Patel.
"However, Rahul Gandhi and his family objected to this proposal as their entire politics was always about erasing Sardar Patel's name from the pages of history," said Irani.
She alleged that when people are donating iron articles to build Patel's statue, "I thought that Congress leaders would shun that prejudice and join this movement".
"But, they could not remove that hatred and prejudice towards Gujarat and Gujaratis from their minds. As instructed by Rahul and his mother (Sonia Gandhi), the opposition party disrespected the Statue of Unity," the BJP MP alleged.
Elections to six municipal corporations in Gujarat will take place on February 21. Polling for 81 municipalities, 31 district panchayats and 231 taluka panchayats is scheduled on February 28.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
