Smriti slams Rahul calling him anti-progress leader and vote-bank politician

New Delhi, October 10: Union Minister Smriti Irani yesterday took a dig at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi saying that he's not only 'anti-progress' but one who mocks the idea of a developed & empowered India.

Smriti Irani added that ‘Vikas’ is not something to be ridiculed instead it should be welcomed. She opined that for decades, the Congress party and particularly the Nehru Gandhi family has been anti-Gujarat.

“Tall leaders like Sardar Patel and Morarji Desai have been badly humiliated by the Nehru-Gandhi family and this trend continues with Narendra Modi,” she said.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi during his Gujarat visit slammed BJP's development agenda by saying that 'vikas' has gone mad in the state. She added that 'vikas' is not something to be ridiculed; instead it should be welcomed.

Targeting PM Modi, Rahul stated that the former's Gujarat model is a complete failure and that the state is aware about the situation. He further assured the people of Gujarat that only if Congress is voted to power, only then would development be achieved.

Talking at a public meeting in Kheda, he admitted that the UPA government failed on 'employment front' and rated its performance '5 out of 10'. He, however, added that BJP committed a disaster on the same front. “No one would be able to control the anger among the youth if 30,000 to 40,000 jobs are not created per day in the near future," he added.