Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress general secretary for Uttar Pradesh (East) on Sunday took a veiled dig at BJP candidate from Amethi, Smriti Irani, claiming that the rival politician was distributing “money, sarees and shoes” in the constituency before the media. She also alleged that the BJP was suppressing the voices of the people when they raise their issues.

Speaking to reporters, Gandhi said, “The way they contest polls by distributing money, sarees & shoes in front of media is wrong. People of Amethi have never begged in front of anyone. I've been coming here since I was 12, people of Amethi and Raebareli have a lot of pride.” She allgeded that in the past, Irani had distributed shoes and sarees among the people of various villages in the constituency in collaboration with a few local businessmen.

The Congress leader pointed out that the basic issues of Amethi were employment, education and health. Hitting out at the BJP, Gandhi said, “Issues are clear; employment, education and health. Nationalism is to solve the problems of people. Here they don't listen to people, when they raise their issues they suppress them, it's neither democracy nor nationalism.”

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani responded to Gandhi’s jibe saying that the Congress was spooked by the groundswell in Amethi.

Gandhi also took a jibe at PM Narendra Modi over his statement that the opposition was targeting him as he belonged to a backward caste, and said that she had no knowledge of which caste he belonged to and asserted that the opposition had never talked about his caste as well.