Smriti Irani urges BJP workers in Amethi to exercise restraint after the death of her aide

In the first incident of post-poll violence in Uttar Pradesh, a close aide of Irani was shot dead by two unidentified men.

Amethi: BJP MP Smriti Irani pays her last respects to former village head (pradhan) Surendra Singh, at his village in Amethi, Sunday, May 26, 2019. Singh is believed to have worked closely with Irani and was part of the BJP team that did the ground work in Amethi ahead of the elections | PTI

Amethi: After one of her close aides was killed here, BJP MP Smriti Irani Sunday asked party workers to exercise restraint, even as she attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his ‘take-care-of-Amethi-with-love’ remark.

Irani, who arrived here following the death of Surendra Singh (50), told reporters, “My request to all party workers is that we should exercise restraint.”

Irani, who unseated Gandhi from his bastion when results were announced on May 23, said Singh was killed so that Amethi could be “terrorised, disintegrated and bowed down.”

In the first incident of post-poll violence in Uttar Pradesh, the close aide of Irani was shot dead by two unidentified men, with police not ruling out the possibility of it being a “political murder”.

“On (May) 23, I was given a message that take care of Amethi with love. To the person, who gave me the message, I would like to say that I have received the message loud and clear,” she said referring to Gandhi’s remarks on the counting day.

Gandhi had said, “I would like that Smriti Iraniji takes care of Amethi with love and I hope that she will reward the trust that Amethi’s people have reposed in her.”