Amethi: All India Congress Committee General Secretary (AICC) for Uttar Pradesh (East), Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday, April 28, accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency Smriti Irani of distributing shoes and sarees to the electorate.

She criticized Irani for openly distributing money, sarees and shoes in front of the media and accused her of lowering the dignity of the electorate with pre-election perks.

“The people of Amethi and Raebareli are not that low to have lost their pride. They do not expect such perks as they never beg for them. I’ve been watching them since my adolescence,” Priyanka said.

“She has never addressed the core issues of people like health, sanitation, employment etc., but only speaks about nationalism,” she added.

She also alleged that Irani was suppressing the voice of the people and her administration was neither democratic nor nationalistic. Nationalism, Priyanka said, means pro-people administration.

Reacting to Prime Minister Narnedra Modi’s statement where he said that the Congress was targeting the backward classes as he belonged to one, she said, “I never knew to which caste he (Modi) belonged and our party never speaks or comments on the basis of caste.”

Meanwhile, Smriti Irani countered Priyanka’s allegations saying, “The Congress party had a shiver run down their spine after looking at the ground reality in Amethi.”