Sanjay Gandhi’s ghost has come to haunt the BJP, with his son and BJP candidate from Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, Varun Gandhi, once again embarrassing the party.
Sanjay Gandhi’s ghost has come to haunt the BJP, with his son and BJP candidate from Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, Varun Gandhi, once again embarrassing the party with his declaration that he wants to follow in the footsteps of his father and apply his policy of population control through forced sterilisation.
Taken aback by this endorsement, the BJP quickly distanced itself from Varun’s comments, saying these were his personal views. “What Varun Gandhi said about forced sterilisation may be his personal views. The BJP encourages and promotes family planning but does not support forced sterilisation,” said BJP spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh.
Sanjay Gandhi was the anointed successor of former PM Indira Gandhi until his death in 1980. He was blamed for a policy which forced thousands of men and even women to be sterilised.
In an interview with London’s The Daily Telegraph, Varun said he hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps by one day offering strong leadership, which he said India had lacked for 20 years. Besides reviving the forced sterilisation policy, Varun said he would also propose a bill in parliament to introduce compulsory military service for all Indians to unite the country and overcome caste and religious differences.
Politics, the 29-year-old fire-brand BJP leader said, was his destiny. “Anyone who says they have no ambition to achieve power at some stage is lying,” he said. Referring to his recent controversial remarks — in which he was reported to have threatened to “cut off the hands” of Muslims in Pilhibhit constituency if they “raised a finger against Hindus” — Varun denied threatening Muslims, but had vowed to protect local people from “anti-social” elements after three local girls were reportedly gang-raped.
As he toured his constituency in a convoy accompanied by armed guards, he made a clear reference to his controversial stand when he told voters that he was “fighting for your self-respect”.
Besides reviving the sterilisation policy, Varun said he would also propose a bill in parliament to introduce compulsory military service for all Indians to unite the country and overcome caste and religious differences. “Instead of people thinking of themselves as Tamils or Brahmins, they should think of themselves as Indians,” he said.
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