Lucknow:
Varun Gandhi is once again in a rabble-rousing mood. And this time, his target is Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.
Speaking at a function on Wednesday, Varun said he will uproot Mayawati's infamous statues and build Ram temples in their place.
"Main poori zimmedari se kah raha hoon ki 2012 ke chunav ke baad up bjp president shahi ji ke netritv mein Lucknow mein mayawati ki jitni moortiyan hain unko hata kar bhagwan ram ki moortiyan lagayeinge (I assure you that after the 2012 elections, we'll uproot all the statues built by Mayawati in Lucknow and replace them with Lord Ram's)," Varun said.
This typical Varun statement left the BJP a little uncomfortable. Yet, the party leadership tried to tone it down.
"Unhone yeh sujhav diya tha, unka yeh apna vichar hai. Putle ko hataya jaana yeh bahut chota kaam hai aur BJP ek badi party hai, uski badi soch hai. Hum toh Ram janam bhoomi sthaan par hee mandir dekhna chahte hain (This is his own opinion. The BJP is a big party, it has a bigger thought. Our agenda is to build Ram temple at Ram Janma Bhoomi)," said Surya Pratap Shahi, BJP president, Uttar Pradesh.
In February this year, at a rally in Bulandshahar, Varun compared Sharad Pawar to Ravana and Mayawati to Surpnakha -- Ravana's sister. In March, at a rally in Saharanpur, Varun promised he would send Mayawati to jail for having sent him to jail after his anti-Muslim speech.
Then on May 2, at a rally in Jaunpur, he said Mayawati was fat.
Though the party officially distances itself from his comments each time, they are also benefiting from his overt Hindutva and rude comments on Mayawati. The party recently chose him to revive the party's flailing fortunes in UP.
With a change of leadership at the state, the BJP is now also on a warpath to put the party back in the race for the 2012 elections. But with the young Varun putting his foot in the mouth almost every time he opens it, they may want to tone down his role in the party. The Congress' downsizing of Rita Bahuguna role in UP can be a handy lesson.