Read Gita, Priyanka tells cousin Varun

A day after the Election Commission found Varun Gandhi guilty of making an inflammatory speech, his cousin Priyanka Vadra on Monday advised him to read and understand the Gita.

Priyanka said Varun’s hate speech went against all that the Gandhi family “lived and died for.”

“It made me very sad to see him say those things on TV and I would advise him to read the Gita properly and try to understand it properly... try to understand the spirit of the Gita,” she told reporters in Rae Bareli on Monday. Priyanka is campaign manager for her mother Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli and brother Rahul in neighbouring Amethi.

Priyanka reiterated the same in Hindi: “Bhagwan ki vani ko samajhne ki koshish karein. (Varun should try and understand the teachings of god).” She was referring to Varun’s speech in Pilibhit where he allegedly swore on the Gita that he would cut the hands that rose against Hindus.

Asked if Varun’s comments went against the secular values of the Nehru-Gandhi family, Priyanka said: “Clearly, it goes against all the principles that this family has stood for and the members of this family have lived and died for.”

Meanwhile, Varun faces fresh trouble with Congress candidate in Pilibhit Virendra Singh sending another CD to the EC alleging he had not only targeted Muslims, but also Sikhs. Singh is a cousin of Varun’s mother Maneka Gandhi, who is contesting on a BJP ticket from nearby Aonla.

Singh told DNA he has drawn the EC’s attention to a speech by Varun in which he said the Sikh candidate (referring to Singh) had been put up by a Muslim and Hindus supporting him were traitors.
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