On 17th April, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi maintained the ambiguity around his potential candidacy for the prominent Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh by stating that the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) would take the final call and he would adhere to the decision. He did, however, accuse the journalist of acting as a Bharatiya Janata Party mouthpiece and referred to the genuine query as a “BJP question” in an attempt to mock the media as an extension of the ruling party.
“People leave Gujarat and come to Varansai to become Prime Minister but you went to Wayanad. Will you contest from Amethi or Rae Bareli,” asked a journalist to Rahul Gandhi. The Congress prince, instead of addressing the genuine question that has been a topic of wide discussion in the media, attacked the journalist saying, “This is a BJP question,” to which the latter replied, “It is a journalist’s question.”
However, Rahul Gandhi claimed, “Opening ball, BJP question. Well done! Listen, the decision will be taken by the Congress Election Committee (CEC) and the party president. I will follow their order and do whatever they tell me. In our party, all these (selections of candidates) decisions are taken by the CEC. However, the first question was that of the BJP. Good question.” He was addressing a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav in Ghaziabad.
#WATCH | Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh: When asked whether he will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi or Raebareli, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says, "This is BJP's question, very good. Whatever order I will get, I will follow it. In our party, all these (selections of… pic.twitter.com/eI0Si8Q6QB
— ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2024
Interestingly, the Bharatiya Janata Party has already declared Union Minister Smriti Irani as its candidate from the Amethi constituency for the 2024 Lok Sabha poll. Rahul Gandhi emerged victorious from there three consecutive times since 2004, however, she won the seat and defeated him by 55,000 votes in the 2019 general election.
Anticipating a defeat from Smriti Irani in 2019, Rahul Gandhi contested from Wayanad seat, to ensure he stays on as a Lok Sabha MP. This year, the Congress is yet to even announce a candidate on the Amethi seat against Irani.
How Congress and Rahul Gandhi have been hostile to journalists asking genuine questions
Notably, Rahul Gandhi and his party have an unsavoury history of venting their frustration on the press and even blaming them for being BJP sympathizers. During “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra” he singled out a journalist and questioned, “Are you from the media? What is your name? What is the name of the owner of your organisation.”
The Lok Sabha MP also lost his temper on 25th March last year while speaking at a press conference for the first time after he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on 24th March and attacked two members of the media. When journalist Ravi Sisodia of CNN-News18 questioned him about his conviction in the “Modi surname” case, the Wayanad MP first called him a BJP stooge and added that the BJP has claimed that the remark was a direct insult to the OBC and the nation’s socially oppressed classes.
