Union Minister Smriti Irani Attacks the Gandhi family and Congress over TMC Alliance Plans, Citing Killings in WB Polls

On Sunday, Union Minister Smriti Irani criticized the Congress for preparing to join forces with the Trinamool Congress as part of the Opposition’s unity, claiming that the latter had engaged in violence during the West Bengal panchayat elections.

At least 15 people were slain during voting on Saturday in the eastern state, and both the TMC, which is in power, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is in opposition, have accused one another of employing violence.

“People are seeing how democracy was slain during the West Bengal panchayat elections, when voters who went to cast their ballots were killed. The Gandhi family (Congress) wants to form an alliance with the TMC party, she stated, perhaps referring to the two parties’ participation in the Opposition summit held in Patna on June 23.

On Nitish Kumar’s invitation, the opposition parties had gathered there to forge a coalition against the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

According to the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, she wanted to find out from the Gandhis if it was okay to support individuals who had caused destruction in West Bengal.

Irani questioned, “Are these murders (during the WB panchayat elections) acceptable to the Gandhi family?”

Irani responded to a question on Rahul Gandhi, the head of the Congress, and farmers’ Saturday encounter in Haryana.

Irani was in town to speak at a regional symposium on child welfare, safety, and protection that was held in Bhopal.