Rahul Gandhi Defends Smriti Irani, Urges for Civility in Political Discourse

Leader of Opposition and Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, took a stand in a surprising move by defending BJP‘s Smriti Irani and calling for a more civil political discourse. Gandhi emphasized the inevitability of winning and losing in life and discouraged derogatory language and nastiness towards political figures such as Smriti Irani.

The statement comes in the wake of online backlash faced by Smriti Irani after she relinquished her official residence in Lutyens’ Delhi following her defeat in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Amethi. Irani, who lost the seat to Congress loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma, previously held the reputation of defeating Rahul Gandhi in Amethi during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, earning her the title of ‘giant slayer’.

Supporters of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress criticized Irani for celebrating Gandhi’s loss previously and termed her defeat in Amethi as humiliating. Prior to the election, Irani remarked on Gandhi’s decision to contest from Raebareli instead of Amethi, stating that it symbolized the Congress party’s defeat in the constituency.

While responding to the situation, Rahul Gandhi stressed the importance of respectful communication in politics and the negative impact of humiliation and insults. Irani, in an earlier statement to NDTV, highlighted Gandhi’s historical avoidance of facing Amethi directly, stating that his choice to not contest from the constituency signified another instance of departure.