Key Points
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday charged former Congress president Rahul Gandhi with having "run away from Amethi", Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh after his defeat at the hands of Union minister Smriti Irani..
Gandhi lost to Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Amethi constituency..
Addressing a press conference here, Prasad also alleged that Gandhi has shifted base to Wayanad "because of heavy concentration of Muslims and Christians" in the Kerala constituency, but claimed, "he is in for a tough fight there too"..
Notably, while the BJP has announced that Irani will be seeking re-election from Amethi, the Congress is yet to declare its candidate for the seat, fuelling speculations that Gandhi might be reluctant this time, having tasted defeat in the 2019 general elections..
Prasad, who takes pride in having been "the counsel for Ram Lala (deity)" in the Ayodhya title suit, also alleged that while the BJP respected "Sanatan culture", Congress leaders like Gandhi turned down the invitation for "pran pratishtha" because of "vote bank considerations"..
