Rahul files nomination for Amethi

Amethi (UP): With UPA president Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra by his side, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday filed his nomination papers for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat at the Collectorate here.

Rahul was also accompanied by Priyanka's husband Robert Vadra and their two children to send a message that the entire family gives much importance to the Congress bastion, party leaders said.

Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination papers, Rahul challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate on the Rafale issue and demonetisation.

"Debate on Rafale, corruption and note ban," he said, buoyed by the Supreme Court order earlier in the day.

In a setback to the Centre, the apex court allowed leaked documents to be relied upon by petitioners seeking review of its Rafale judgment and dismissed the government's preliminary objections claiming "privilege" over them. The three-time Congress MP from Amethi will take on Union Minister and BJP nominee Smriti Irani in the Lok Sabha election in virtually a direct contest as the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh has decided not to field a candidate from the seat.

This time, the Congress president is contesting a second seat, Wayanad, in Kerala where he had filed his papers on April 4. Rahul, who was also accompanied by Congress general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia, said, "Sometime ago the prime minister's interview had come, a structured interview, (he) told news persons that the SC has given a clean chit, etc."

"Now the SC has made it clear that 'chowkidarji' has committed a theft. (It has) accepted that there is some corruption in Rafale. I have been saying so since months if investigations are done there are two names - Narendra Modi and (Anil) Ambani. "I am happy and I have been saying so for months that 'Hindustan PM' has given air force money to Anil Ambani and the SC has accepted it. The SC is going to investigate it," Rahul said. PTI