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Smriti Irani of the Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that her political rival Rahul Gandhi of the Congress believes he has experienced “success” and is now adopting a new approach to political maneuvering.
In a recent podcast, the former Union minister said, “When he (Rahul Gandhi) talks about caste, when he wears a white T-shirt in Parliament, he’s aware of what kind of message it sends to the youth.”
Smriti Irani also noted that Rahul Gandhi makes “calculated moves” to target specific demographics. She warned against underestimating his strategies, stating, “We shouldn’t be mistaken about his actions—whether they seem good, bad, or immature—they represent a different style of politics.”
Watch the video here:
The former BJP MP from Amethi criticised the Congress’s previous attempts at “soft Hindutva”, such as Rahul Gandhi’s prominent temple visits during election campaigns. Smriti Irani argued that these efforts failed to connect with voters and were met with skepticism, asserting that Rahul Gandhi’s recent political success has emerged from moving away from these “unsuccessful” tactics.
“Rahul Gandhi did not get any traction from his temple visits. It became the butt of jokes. Some people found it deceitful. So when this strategy did not work, they switched to caste issues to gain traction,” Irani said during the podcast.
Smriti Irani, Rahul Gandhi are old rivals
Smriti Irani and Rahul Gandhi have had a contentious relationship, marked by political clashes and public exchanges. The rivalry intensified in 2014 when Irani stood against Gandhi in the Lok Sabha elections in the Amethi constituency, a stronghold of the Gandhi family.
Although she lost in 2014, she secured a win in subsequent elections in 2019, when she was hailed as a “giant slayer” for defeating Rahul Gandhi.
In July, Rahul Gandhi slammed the use of “derogatory language” against Smriti Irani, or any other political figure and called for a respectful discourse. His appeal follows a series of personal attacks on Irani as she vacated her official residence after her recent electoral defeat.
Amid the backlash, Gandhi took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, highlighting the importance of respectful dialogue.
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