Smriti Irani speaking exclusively with ANI, slammed the Congress party over Gandhi family’s treatment of Maneka Gandhi, alleging that she was "stripped and assaulted" when she contested against Rajiv Gandhi from Amethi. Maneka Gandhi, the wife of late Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi was reportedly keen on contesting from her husband`s seat Amethi after his death. In 1984, she contested from the seat against Rajiv Gandhi in 1984. However, she lost by a huge margin and ended up losing her deposit."When Maneka Gandhi contested against the Gandhi family from here (Amethi)...a young widow with a young child...literally she is stripped, she is assaulted. And the message goes in the region, that if we didn`t leave her, how will we spare you?" Irani said. "This whole subset, that is so enamoured by the giggling Gandhis, they don`t realize the muck, violence, torture, they are capable of. Beneath that sheen, is so much of dirt," she added.