Agra/Bareilly: Hitting out at Congress leaders on Saturday, Union textile minister Smriti Irani said that those who don’t have the courage to bow before Ram Lalla due to fear of their vote bank will never get the vote of the devout followers of Lord Ram.Ahead of the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha (LS) elections, Irani addressed multiple public meetings at Soron and Badaun in Uttar Pradesh. She repeatedly targeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra without naming them. The minister’s remarks came a day after Congress general secretary Priyanka visited the popular Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya, but stayed away from the Ram Lalla shrine.Speaking at Soron in Kasganj to garner support for BJP candidate Rajveer Singh alias Raju Bhaiya, Irani said, “Congress leaders are pretending to be Ram bhakts. However, they gave written documents in the court that Lord Ram did not exist. They created sensation and hype over Congress leaders visiting Ayodhya, but not for once did they bow their heads in front of Ram Lalla out of fear of vote banks. Hence, they won’t get a single Ram bhakts’ vote.”The 43-year-old minister added, “The dynasty which ruled for over 60 years stood in Parliament and raised questions about our defence forces’ credibility when our men in uniform struck our enemies beyond the border.”Later, addressing a public gathering in Badaun for incumbent Aonla MP Dharmendra Kashyap, Irani said, “You can see the impact of Modi-Yogi rule. Those who used to travel abroad are now out there to get Ganga Maiya’s darshan. And those people who used to give poison of corruption to the country are now talking about Shiv ji’s glory.”Repeating her Soron remarks in Badaun, the minister said, “See politics of these people, they went to Ayodhya but did not bow their heads in front of Ram Lalla. Kehne lage ki bhaiya humara vote kharab ho jayega. Aj Congress k un netao se kehna chahti hu jo vote k liye vote bank k darr se chalte Ram Lalla ko pranam karne ki himmat nahi rakhta, shradha nahi rakhta, wo Ram bhakto ka vote kabhi nahi payega. (They said their votes will get affected. I want to tell Congress leaders, if they don’t have courage to greet Ram Lalla or pay respect to Ram Lalla due to fear of their vote bank, they will not get the vote of devout followers of Lord Ram).”“Ram bhakts will go to the polling booth and cast their votes in favour of development,” she thundered in Badaun’s Shekhupur assembly segment, part of Aonla LS seat.

Stay updated with all the Agra Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.