Irani dares Rahul to take out money from tea traders in Guj

Union minister and BJP MPSmriti Irani on Tuesday dared Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to''take out money'' from the pockets of small tea traders ofGujarat and to contest elections from the state if he has''guts''.

She also alleged the Congress' ''hatred and prejudice''towards Gujarat and its people was not new, ''as Rahul Gandhiand his party had objected to the proposal to build the Statueof Unity in the memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel inGujarat''.

Irani was referring to the remarks made by the formerCongress chief at a poll rally in Assam in which he spokeabout hiking the daily wage of tea workers by making teagarden owners from Gujarat pay, if his party is voted to powerin that state.

''Rahul Gandhi recently said in a rally in Assam thathe will take out money from the pockets of small tea tradersof Gujarat. Earlier, they (Congress) had issues with the teaseller (PM Narendra Modi), and now they have problems withthose who drink tea,'' Irani said at a public rally forupcoming elections to local bodies held at Vansda town inNavsari district.

''I want to challenge Rahul Gandhi to try ('azma lo')Gujarat if he has guts. I also challenge him to contest pollsfrom Gujarat. That will clear all his misconceptions,'' theMinister for Textiles and Women & Child Development said.

Rahul Gandhi had said the Congress will hike the dailywages of tea garden workers if voted to power in Asasam.

''Tea garden workers of Assam get Rs 167 per day, whiletraders from Gujarat get tea gardens. The Congress will putRs 365 as daily wage into the pockets of the tea gardenworkers. Now you will ask me where will the money comefrom?...It will come from the traders of Gujarat,'' he hadsaid.

Irani said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the peopleof Gujarat had come up with the idea of constructing a grandmonument dedicated to Sardar Patel.

''However, Rahul Gandhi and his family objected to thisproposal as their entire politics was always about erasingSardar Patel's name from the pages of history,'' said Irani.

She alleged that when people are donating ironarticles to build Patel's statue, ''I thought that Congressleaders would shun that prejudice and join this movement''.

''But, they could not remove that hatred and prejudicetowards Gujarat and Gujaratis from their minds. As instructedby Rahul and his mother (Sonia Gandhi), the opposition partydisrespected the Statue of Unity,'' the BJP MP alleged.

Elections to six municipal corporations in Gujaratwill take place on February 21. Polling for 81 municipalities,31 district panchayats and 231 taluka panchayats is scheduledon February 28.