BJP president J P Nadda on Tuesday questioned if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi could be loyal to Rae Bareli when he wasn’t to his old constituency.

“There was also a candidate who ran away from here. He didn't run away just once. From here he went to Wayanad, from Wayanad to Rae Bareli and even then did not return to Amethi,” he said at a public meeting without taking any name.

In 2019, Gandhi lost Amethi – a parliamentary seat once regarded as a family bastion – to BJP's Smriti Irani, but won the Wayanad seat in Kerala.

This time, the former Congress chief contested again from Wayanad. And, amid speculation that he would also fight from Amethi, picked Rae Bareli, which was recently vacated by his mother Sonia Gandhi, who has shifted to the Rajya Sabha.

Addressing a gathering here in support of party candidate Irani, Nadda said, "This tells a lot about the character of the politician and his courage." "Your message should also go to Rae Bareli. Those who could not be yours, will not be of Rae Bareli also...those who stayed here for 15 years and left without saying goodbye to you, will they take care of others?" he added.

Rahul Gandhi had been MP from Amethi in 2004, 2009 and 2014.

Attacking the Gandhi family and the opposition over appeasement politics, Nadda said, "They are anti-Ram, anti-Sanatan and anti-national forces. (Congress leader) Salman Khurshid had said that when terrorists were being killed in Batla House, Sonia Gandhi had tears in her eyes. They have very old relations with anti-nationals." Praising Irani, the BJP chief said it fills his heart with pride when he sees the changing face of Amethi.

"Ten years ago, the roads in Amethi were in a pathetic condition. Today there are paved roads and the network is spreading to every village. This is Modi ji's gift and Smriti Irani's hard work," he said.

"Earlier, the (Congress) candidate came here, remembered Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and used to take your votes and left to Delhi leaving people of Amethi on their own." He also accused leaders of the INDIA bloc of practising dynastic politics and indulging in corruption.

"All these 'ghotalebaj' (scammers) say - you save me, I will save you. If two chairs were vacant in their programmes, it would have Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren written on it. Nowadays, one is in jail and the other is on bail," he said.

Nadda countered the opposition's allegation that the BJP will do away with reservations and said, "Till (PM) Modi is there, no one can take away reservations for Dalits, backwards and tribals."

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