November 27, 2017
BJP MP Varun Gandhi – Getty Images
With Rahul Gandhi more or less set to take over the party president's post in Congress, rumours are rife that he would welcome estranged cousin and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Varun Gandhi to join India's Grand Old Party.
November 27, 2017
BJP MP Varun Gandhi – Getty Images
With Rahul Gandhi more or less set to take over the party president's post in Congress, rumours are rife that he would welcome estranged cousin and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Varun Gandhi to join India's Grand Old Party.
Varun is former youth icon the late Sanjay Gandhi's son and represents Sultanpur in the Lok Sabha.
Local Congress leaders in Agra believe that Varun is not getting his due in the BJP and is being completely ignored despite his potential to become a major contender for the chief minister's post in the state.
Talking to India Today, senior Muslim leader Haji Jameeluddin said that Varun was being ignored in the saffron party and that no other leader other than Narendra Modi is allowed to say his or her 'Mann Ki Baat' on public forums; Varun was one of the few people in the BJP who dares to have his own opinion in Modi's regime and he is paying the price for it by being sidelined in the party.
Jameeluddin said that a number of BJP supporters had raised Varun's name as a prospective chief minister candidate in UP after the BJP won a record number of seats in the Assembly elections, but he was ignored in favour of Yogi Adityanath.
Senior Congress leader Haji Manzoor Ahmed said that ahead of 2019 parliamentary elections, Varun could be inducted into the Congress Working Committee as a member or an office-bearer and together, Rahul and Varun could become a major force to be reckoned with, supported by Priyanka Vadra, who has always maintained cordial relations with Varun.
In fact, he said, Priyanka could become the catalyst for Varun's departure from the BJP and entry in Congress.
Agra city Congress ex-president and UPCC member Ram Tandon told India Today that Varun has never made any direct attacks on Rahul in his public meetings and with Rahul becoming the president of the party, it is likely that Varun may join the Congress. If that happens, this would also unify the Nehru-Gandhi family after almost 35 years.
Already, he said, Varun has not been participating in any party meetings or rallies called by the BJP and has been sidelined ever since he was elected MP from Sultanpur in UP. Perhaps he has now understood that his political future is not secure in a party which was formed to destroy the Congress and its Nehru-Gandhi heritage.
Varun has always been critical of any missteps taken by the Modi government and this may also be the reason why Varun is not being given any priority in the BJP.
Notably, Varun has a significant following in Pilibhit-Sultanpur-Lakhimpur Khiri and its surrounding areas and if he joins the Congress, this could be a big boost to both Rahul and Congress who are struggling to get a toehold in UP beyond the family boroughs of Amethi and Raebareli.
However, some political analysts believe that Varun will not join the Congress as his mother Maneka Gandhi is a prominent BJP leader and a member of the Modi cabinet.
Also, there's no love lost between Maneka and sister-in-law Sonia Gandhi. Maneka may not allow Varun to leave the BJP and join the Congress.
Similarly, Sonia may also not like members of Maneka's family joining Congress and she may prove to a difficult hurdle to overcome.
Courtesy/Source: HT
