Rae Bareli should once again show Uttar Pradesh, country path to progress: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Rae Bareli should once again show the path to progress and development to Uttar Pradesh and the country as it has been the ideological and political centre of the State in the past

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on May 18 said Rae Bareli should once again show the path to progress and development to Uttar Pradesh and the country as it has been the ideological and political centre of the State in the past.

Sharing a video with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a post on X, he recollected memories of their childhood while passing through Rae Bareli, from where he is contesting on the Lok Sabha seat vacated by his mother Sonia Gandhi.

"Rae Bareli has an important role in India's progress, in giving direction to the country. Rae Bareli has for years been Uttar Pradesh's political and ideological centre, and it was Rae Bareli that showed the path in the freedom struggle," he said in the over four-minute video.

"Today, the role of Rae Bareli should be one that first shows the path to Uttar Pradesh's progress and development and then Uttar Pradesh should once again show the path of progress and development to India," he also said.

In the last Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi had contested from Amethi but lost to BJP's Smriti Irani. After representing Amethi from 2004 to 2019, he has shifted to Rae Bareli this time.

Taking a swipe at top BJP leaders, he said he has respected his family and shared good ties with all family members and does not allow politics to come in.

"When you do politics, if you do not respect your family and cannot maintain your relations in the family, you cannot keep ties outside [the family] too," he said.