Varun-Sanjay: BJP tries to see bright side

Kalraj Mishra,who’s coordinating the party’s campaign in Uttar Pradesh where Varun is in much demand,says: “There’s no point in raking up an old debate. Many of those associated with the Emergency regime are part of the BJP today. Varun has just begun his career… What’s wrong if he invokes his father’s name?”

Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Ramapati Ram Tripathi goes a step further: “If Sanjay was instrumental for the Emergency,he was also against the politics of appeasement. Varun is a nationalist; Sanjay Gandhi too talked about national interest.”

The central leadership’s view is more nuanced,choosing to focus on what they like about Varun. Sudheendra Kulkarni,known as L K Advani’s adviser,refuses to comment on Varun invoking Sanjay’s name and the Emergency connection,though he expresses admiration for the party’s new find. “The Sanjay Gandhi branch of the Nehru family — Sanjay,Maneka or Varun — has struggled for whatever it has achieved. The Rajiv-Sonia branch has got its achievements on a platter. ”

The second-rung BJP leadership is almost as reticent on the Sanjay connection,though most of them were at the forefront of the anti-Emergency struggle. Party general secretary Arun Jaitley,who as Delhi University Students’ Union president was among the first to be arrested during the Emergency,refused to comment,as did his then comrade-in-arms Vijay Goel.

Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad — who was jailed in Patna during the Emergency — however,distances himself from these remarks of Varun. “We have been victims of the Emergency and we have no connection with the Emergency legacy. Varun and Maneka are BJP leaders,but there are many examples where family members have been leaders of other parties,” he says.

However,he ruled out advising Varun to exercise restraint on the matter.

What’s more surprising is the RSS silence,with everyone refusing to comment. While Varun himself remains quiet,sources close to him pointed out that “he had hardly seen his father” and that it was BJP supporters who first raised slogans like “Varun nahin aandhi hai,doosra Sanjay Gandhi hai”.