Varun Gandhi has no future in the BJP. It’s time he joins Congress, his father’s party
He is only 38, but Varun Gandhi has won two Lok Sabha elections already — once, during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime, then, in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) era.
Son of Union minister Maneka Gandhi and the late Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi, Varun Gandhi is keeping himself busy these days delivering lectures at educational institutions and promoting his book A Rural Manifesto: Realizing India’s Future Through Her Villages.
It is astonishing how the BJP has chosen to silence the voice of a young and dynamic leader such as Varun Gandhi. Despite his knowledge and experience about a whole range of subjects, the BJP has refrained from including Varun in the list of party speakers.
Varun has been trying to spread his ideas, meanwhile, by penning down articles for newspapers and blogs.
Always a pleasure to be back in Haryana. Spoke at the Panipat Institute of Engineering and Technology in Haryana, today. pic.twitter.com/Gbdq1hrDWv
— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) January 22, 2019
Interestingly, Varun is a BJP MP from Sultanpur, a Parliamentary constituency that falls under eastern UP — a region from where Congress leader and Varun’s cousin Priyanka Gandhi would be leading the charge for her party.
Would it then not be better for Varun to switch sides now and join the Congress camp?
As things stand currently, Varun doesn’t seem to be heading for a bright future in politics by continuing with the BJP — not under the present leadership at least.
After making Varun general secretary in-charge of West Bengal in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP demoted the young leader. When Amit Shah took charge as BJP president, he dropped Varun from the list of the party’s office-bearers.
At one point, Varun was touted as the chief ministerial candidate prior to the Uttar Pradesh elections of 2017. Later, however, the party didn’t even deem it fit to include his name in the first list of ‘star campaigners’ for elections.
Posters put up by Varun’s supporters within the BJP, who were demanding that he be projected as the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the 2017 UP Assembly elections, were reportedly brought down overnight, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state.
Varun’s political past is definitely not devoid of taints. On March 7, 2009, Varun Gandhi reportedly made a highly provocative speech against a minority community. The speech was made during a campaign rally. At the time, Varun was a BJP candidate for the Pilibhit Lok Sabha seat.
A case was lodged against him and Varun ended up spending 19 days in jail.
He is not reported to have made any provocative speeches post that incident.
And that is what works in favour of young leaders — the ability to course-correct and present an improved version of their selves.
Young leaders, more often than not, tend to be progressive. Varun has proved on more occasions than one that he is not the torch-bearer of the stone age-style of politics where politicians sit and pass legislations hiking their own salaries. Varun has been one of the rare politicians to speak out against this.
Discussing the issue, Varun has reportedly said, “I repeatedly raise my voice about the increase in salaries of MPs and not giving details of their assets. Employees of every sector get increase in their wages based on hard work and honesty. But in the last 10 years, MPs have increased their salaries seven times just by raising their hands.”
That Yogi Adityanath was chosen over Varun Gandhi to be UP’s chief minister shows that the BJP is not ready to walk the talk on providing a young, vibrant and dynamic leadership to the country.
It is thus, perhaps, time for Varun to switch to his father’s party.
He would definitely find a greater role for himself, given how the Congress is desperately scrambling for seats in the state of UP. He would also likely be welcomed by his cousins and a party delighted by the opportunity to showcase a united Gandhi family.
As for the BJP, if it cares, it must make quick moves to woo Varun to stay.