| Rajnath Singh says BJP will win all 80 UP seats, dismisses Vadra debut buzz | | |  agencies
NEW DELHI, Apr 5: The BJP will win all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared on Friday as he took a dig at Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's Rajya Sabha move.
Speaking to Network18's Group Editor-in Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh, when asked about the BJP's 2014 record in the politically crucial state, said: "This time, it will be 80 out of 80."
Asked if it means the BJP will win Amethi, Raebareli, Kannauj and Azamgarh as well, the minister said: "Yes. Who used to contest elections from Raebareli? Sonia Gandhi has now come to Rajya Sabha, it's clear why that happened."
The prestigious Amethi and Raebareli seats were considered Congress bastions. In 2019, the BJP's Smriti Irani defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. His mother, Sonia Gandhi, held Raebareli since 2004, but she has recently took oath as a Rajya Sabha MP. The 77-year-old Congress leader has said she will not contest the Lok Sabha elections due to her age and health. The Congress has yet to declare candidates for Amethi and Raebareli.
Amid rumours of Gandhi son-in-law Robert Vadra making his political debut from Amethi, Singh said whoever contests will have to face loss against the BJP. "…Because our candidate Smriti Irani has done a very good job there. Her performance has been good in her constituency as well as in the House. As a minister also, her performance has been very good."
The minister said it was the decision of the Congress to field whoever they want when asked about the BJP's stand against nepotism. "He [Vadra] can if he wants to. What do we have to do in that? We don't need to say anything. This is Congress's decision, not ours."
During the interview, Singh also said the BJP had fulfilled its electoral promise of building the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. When asked about the popular slogan 'Mathura, Kashi baaki hai', the defence minister said the matter is sub-judice and the decision should be awaited.
"There is no doubt that India is a secular nation, nobody should have any objection to this. But I would not like to say anything about Kashi, Mathura at this time because the matter is pending in the court," he said, responding to a question about how many more temples the government would build. |
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