Amethi, Uttar Pradesh:
After praising estranged cousin
Rahul Gandhi for some of his work in Amethi, Varun Gandhi, who is a prominent young face of the BJP, tweeted a clarification. "It should NOT be seen as an endorsement of any political party or candidate," he said.
Varun Gandhi, 34, the BJP's candidate from Sultanpur, said last night, "I want to bring in a new form of politics. We need small-scale industries, the kind of self-help groups that Rahul-ji has set up successfully in Amethi, though I haven't seen his work personally."
A red-faced BJP was left fumbling for a response even after Varun's tweets. "The 140-character limit creates the problem," said party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar. A statement sent out by Varun later, however, was almost the same. (
Full coverage: India Votes 2014)
His comments, made to a group of teachers and activists, were unsurprisingly embraced by Rahul, 43, who is running for Parliament from Amethi for the third time in a row. "What Varun is saying is right...I am very glad that others are appreciating the work I've done in Amethi," the Congress vice president said, smiling, after he chauffeured his mother, Sonia, in a white SUV through her constituency of Raebareli where she filed her nomination papers for the national election. (
Rahul Gandhi chauffeurs mother Sonia Gandhi in Raebareli)
Varun Gandhi won the last election from Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh. When he shifted to Sultanpur this time,
he ruled out campaigning against Rahul in neighbouring Amethi, a constituency represented in the past by both their fathers, Sanjay and Rajiv Gandhi. Varun spoke of "lines of decency I would never cross."
Varun and Rahul are the grandsons of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Varun's father, Sanjay, represented Amethi in Parliament when he died in a plane crash in 1980. His older brother, Rajiv, who was Rahul's father, then made Amethi his constituency; he was assassinated in 1991. Sonia Gandhi represented Amethi till 2004, when Rahul entered politics and contested his first election from there.
Varun's mother, Maneka, fell out with Indira Gandhi after Sanjay Gandhi's death; she joined the BJP in 2004.