Pune: Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Parliament by taking the name of Kalawati Bandurkar, a poor widow from Jalka. A day later, a video surfaced where the woman retorted back, claiming Shah lied in the House and that whatever help she received was from Gandhi.
After Gandhi's address on no-confidence motion, Shah questioned as to what Gandhi had done for Kalawati because house, ration and electricity were provided to her by the Modi government. Gandhi had visited Kalawati's house after her husband Parshuram's suicide due to agrarian crisis in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district in 2008.
In the video, Kalawati said that whatever Shah told in the Parliament is a complete lie and it was Gandhi who actually had helped her at that time. She said that Gandhi provided her financial assistance and she started receiving ration after his visit. She said that Gandhi had also arranged electricity connection and a house for her.
"Whatever help I received was offered by Rahul Gandhi. Amit Shah is telling a complete lie. Electricity, house, water and financial help were provided by Rahul Gandhi and not by anyone else," she said.
Notably, after Gandhi's visit, financial aid started flowing in for the poor family. NGO Sulabha International provided Rs 30 lakh to her. Earlier, during Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, the woman met Gandhi at a rally in Washim.
Kalawati had also decided to contest from the Wani seat during the Maharashtra assembly polls in 2009 but, withdrew her candidature after her son-in-law threatened to commit suicide if she contested. Her husband, son-in-law and second daughter died by suicide in 2005, 2010 and 2011 respectively.
