'He ran away from Amethi, but…: Ravi Shankar Prasad launches attack at Rahul Gandhi as he files nomination from Wayanad

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday charged former Congress president Rahul Gandhi with having "run away from Amethi", Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh after his defeat at the hands of Union minister Smriti Irani.

Gandhi lost to Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Amethi constituency.

Addressing a press conference here, Prasad also alleged that Gandhi has shifted base to Wayanad "because of heavy concentration of Muslims and Christians" in the Kerala constituency, but claimed, "he is in for a tough fight there too".

"Why has Rahul Gandhi run away from Amethi? He has won from there. Earlier, the seat had been represented by his father and late uncle Sanjay Gandhi. He should have had the courage to enter the fight", said the BJP leader.

Notably, while the BJP has announced that Irani will be seeking re-election from Amethi, the Congress is yet to declare its candidate for the seat, fuelling speculations that Gandhi might be reluctant this time, having tasted defeat in the 2019 general elections.

Prasad added, "You know why Rahul Gandhi chose Wayanad? It is because there is a heavy concentration of Muslims and Christians..... but there are surveys that suggest he is in for a tough fight this time".

Significantly, Gandhi is locked in a triangular fight in Wayanad where his principal rival is CPI's Annie Raja. However, the BJP, which is not yet a major force in the southern province, has tried to queer the pitch by fielding state unit chief K Surendran from the hotly contested seat.

Interestingly, Irani is likely to be in Wayanad on Thursday to accompany Surendran for filing of nomination papers. Gandhi filed his nomination papers on Wednesday after a spectacular roadshow.

Prasad, who takes pride in