Will do everything to defeat Rahul: Arun Jaitley

NEW DELHI: With the government's bid to install a commission of inquiry on 'snoopgate' further embittering Congress-BJP ties, BJP leader Arun Jaitley has said the party is determined to do all it can to unseat Rahul Gandhi in Amethi.

In a statement on Sunday, Jaitley said campaigning for Amethi will end on Monday with a massive rally addressed by BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

The BJP leader said "all roads lead to Amethi" and claimed that the constituency should be ready for a surprise given a visible anti-incumbency against the Congress.

"The relationship of Amethi with its sitting MP is nominal. Despite having been a family stronghold for decades, Amethi remains one of the most backward constituencies," Jaitley said.

Stating that BJP was determined to put up a fight for Amethi, Jaitley said Smriti Irani was a formidable candidate who was gaining in strength. "The situation is ripe for a strong anti-incumbency against the sitting MP. Family ties are not the alternative to improvement in the quality of life of the electorate," he said.

Jaitley also took up Rahul's statement that Congress will not support a third front, saying though the leader had said a categorical no, "Congress's earlier track record does not inspire confidence in the statement. Prakash Karat has simultaneously said that for a 'secular' combination to come in place they will need Congress support".

Stating that Left was hoping for an indecisive mandate, Jaitley said the communists were looking for a scenario "where everybody gangs up to keep the NDA out".

But those who occupy the non-Congress space in their states will find it impossible to side with Congress in Delhi, said Jaitley, as they would end up conceding non-Congress space to BJP.

"The best case scenario for Congress is a rag tag coalition to keep Modi out. The choice now is clear. It is either a Modi-led NDA or a chaotic coalition," he said.