Varun Gandhi remanded to two-day judicial custody

As Varun Gandhi courted arrest at Pilibhit in accordance with the party advice in the case over his hate speech, the BJP described its Lok Sabha nominee’s act done “as per the law”.

Party leader Kalraj Mishra, who is also BJP’s in-charge of elections in Uttar Pradesh, was deputed by the central leadership to oversee the situation when Varun went to get arrested and jailed. He was remanded to judicial custody till Monday, when his bail plea would be heard.

Asked for his comments, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said,
“The law has been followed. How can someone stop an individual from following the rule of the land?”

The party’s reaction came after Congress leader Kapil Sibal alleged that Varun Gandhi courting arrest in Pilibhit was a pre-planned drama.

“Varun Gandhi is following what is prescribed in the law. He himself has said that the tapes circulated in the media are doctored and he does not support hatred towards any community,” Javadekar said.
Gandhi is a first-time candidate contesting a constituency where elections are scheduled to be held in the fifth phase on May 13.
Arrested between recurrent clashes between his supporters and police, which had to resort to firing rubber bullets to control the crowd, Varun Gandhi appeared to have achieved a polarisation of votes along communal lines in his constituency.