Smriti Irani targets Rahul over media report on Vadra

Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani tonight targeted Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi after a media report claimed that absconding arms agent Sanjay Bhandari had "booked tickets" for his brother- in-law Robert Vadra.

"Eagerly awaiting Rahul Ji's poetic explanation for #VadraTicketGate," Irani tweeted.

The minister's tweet came after Times Now channel claimed that "the absconding arms dealer Bhandari (had) booked business-class tickets for Vadra in 2012."

Vadra's reaction to the report was not available.

Times Now said Vadra and his lawyers had earlier denied having any links with the absconding arms dealer.

Irani's swipe at Gandhi, asking for his "poetic explanation", came two days after the Congress leader targeted the government over the Global Hunger Index by citing a poem in a tweet.

Irani had hit back then in a similar fashion.

Gandhi had tweeted a news report on the Global Hunger Index along with a Hindi couplet by poet Dushyant Kumar which read: "bhookh hai to sabrkar, roti nahi to kya hua, aajkaldillimein hai zer-e-behas yeh mudda (if you are hungry, be patient, what if bread is not available, the issue is being discussed in Delhi."

Hitting back, Irani had tweeted:

"Ae satta ki bhookh, sabrkar, aankdesathnahi to kya, khudgarzon ko jamakar, mulk ki badnami ka shortohmacha hi lenge (hey hunger for power, be patient, what if you don't have the numbers, you can collect selfish people, noise can be made to malign the country)."

In another tweet, the Information and Broadcasting Minister had said, "Not surprising that in his keenness to run down Hon PM, Rahul Gandhi maligns the Nation."

Along with this tweet, Irani posted a statement by Health Minister J P Nadda which read: "Facts vs Fiction on Global Hunger Index to enlighten people who are keen to run down our country by twisting facts."