india

Updated: Jun 22, 2019 19:26 IST

Less than a month after she defeated Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani arrived on a ‘thanksgiving’ visit to her new Lok Sabha constituency of Amethi.

“I have identified a piece of land in Gauriganj where I intend to build a house and stay, so that the people here don’t have to run to Delhi to meet their MP as was the case earlier. I am thankful to you for electing a woman from a simple family over a naamdaar (biggie),” she said in a veiled jibe at former Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi.

“Anyone can meet me anytime,” she said even as UP’s deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who flew down specially to showcase the Yogi Adityanath government’s resolve to keep Amethi as a “high priority constituency”, announced 62 road projects worth Rs 30 crore for Amethi.

“She had made several promises for which she has been elected. Now, it’s her test. If she performs well, she will get another chance,” said Mohd Ismail, a local tailor in Tiloi who had turned up to listen to his new MP.

On her part, Irani said she would work for those who voted for her as well as for “nearly 4 lakh” voters who voted for the Congress.

“I am aware that nearly 4 lakh people voted for the Congress but I must assure you that in keeping with our PM’s motto of ‘sab ka saath, sab ka vikas and sab ka vishwas, I will work for all,” she said.

She also visited Baraulia village to meet the family members of former village head Surendra Pratap Singh, who was killed two days after her win.

In Baraulia, she was joined by Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant, who had come all the way due to the emotional bond that his predecessor late Manohar Parrikar shared with the village as a Rajya Sabha MP.

Irani said eight ambulances had been made available for the region and announced that she would hold monthly reviews of development work. On the occasion, the Amethi administration gave 2,302 people free medical cover under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

Another 2,117 beneficiaries were identified for a house under the PM Awaas Yojana with Irani symbolically handing over keys to some of them from the stage. “I want to tell the people here that all the complaints and requests for work that I have received will be forwarded to the DM and SP by tomorrow and they will have to resolve the complaints in seven days,” she said.