Amethi: At her first visit after an emphatic victory in Amethi, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani announced on Saturday that she will construct her own house in her constituency. She has already identified a plot in Gauriganj.

The announcement was made in the presence of UP deputy CM and PWD minister Keshav Prasad Maurya at the inauguration of a Rs 30-crore road project. At the end of the programme, keys of houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojan were distributed among residents of Amethi.

Simply put, Irani did what Congress President Rahul Gandhi did not do in the past one-and-a-half decade. Irani added that Amethi would now be her permanent home and her doors will always be open for people's access.

Meanwhile, the Union Minister also said that those who voted for Gandhi will not be deprived of her welfare scheme. “I understand that there are some four lakh people who voted the Congress. They must not worry about benefiting from welfare schemes like Ujjwala, PMAY, and toilets under Swachh Bharat,” the Times of India quoted Irani.

Rahul Gandhi had been representing Amethi in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2019 and his mother Sonia Gandhi had won the seat in 1999. The Gandhi family, however, never found a permanent abode in Amethi and chose to stay in guest houses during their visits. His successor Irani also took potshots at Gandhi for remaining absent from his turf for five years.

Smriti Irani's decision to build a house in her constituency is a clear indication that she intends to continue her relationship with Amethi in the coming years.

The minister also announced a slew of projects for her constituency on Saturday.