One hate speech has catapulted political greenhorn Varun Gandhi to the league of star campaigners with requests pouring in from BJP candidates for his presence at their rallies.
One hate speech has catapulted political greenhorn Varun Gandhi to the league of star campaigners with requests pouring in from BJP candidates for his presence at rallies in their constituencies.
Despite Varun’s claim that the CD of his speech at Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh was doctored, many of his colleagues are rooting for him. The BJP has officially dissociated itself from his speech.
Expecting to gain from any communal polarisation that occurs, BJP leaders feel any action against Varun would lead to a groundswell of support for him. “If Varun is arrested and spends just a day or week in jail, the reaction would be tremendous,” a BJP leader said. If the BJP is coy in officially admitting this, the RSS is reported to have said Varun’s statement was in line with its ideology.
The BJP has not included Varun’s name in the official list of star campaigners to be submitted to the Election Commission, but party nominees from Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Orissa want him to address rallies in their constituencies.
The list comprises those who will campaign for the party across the country. Expenses involved in their programmes are not included in the candidate’s account. Till date, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi is the most in demand. But Varun is emerging a hot favourite.
Though sources say Varun has been told to be restrained in his speeches, Hindutva remains the dominant flavour. For instance, the BJP candidate in Mangalore is a hardliner with a Bajrang Dal background. In Orissa, which saw prolonged anti-Christian violence, the star campaigner is Modi, and now that the alliance with the BJD is off, the BJP feels no need to restrain itself.
Party cadre from UP want the BJP to rake up Hindutva to counter the Samajwadi Party and BSP’s assiduous courting of Muslims.
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