I am a Gandhi,a Hindu and an Indian,says Varun

“I am proud of my faith and not apologetic about it. I am a Gandhi,a Hindu and an Indian in the equal measure,” he said.

Acting swiftly,the Election Commission had on Tuesday ordered filing of a criminal case against Varun for his alleged inflammatory speech with communal overtones and served notice to the party seeking its explanation.

“I have been a victim of a political conspiracy. Those are not my words and that is not my voice. I have not made any communal statement,” Varun,a scion of the estranged Gandhi family,said.

Varun,son of Maneka Gandhi,said the tape has been doctored and it was a ‘malicious attempt’ to brand him communal.

Senior BJP leader Shanawaz Hussain termed Varun’s remarks ‘shocking’ and demanded an unconditional apology from him.

Another BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also assailed Varun’s remarks saying they are a manifestation of his family’s past Congress culture.

Rattled by the controversy,the BJP asked its party candidates to observe caution and restraint in their speeches.

“We do not subscribe to such views,” party spokesperson Siddarth Nath Singh said.

In no mood to relent,Varun said,”I am pro India and not anti-anybody. I want to ask the nation to stand by me.”

He went on to add ‘my attempt has been to restore confidence in a community that has been under siege in its own country.’

He said the video footage has been ‘doctored’. It has been a malicious attempt to brand me as communal. There is no question of my having any ill feeling towards any community,” he said.

At a recent election meeting in Pilibhit from where he is making his electoral debut,Varun had reportedly said,”this is not a ‘Hand’ (Congress symbol),it is the power of the ‘Lotus’ (BJP symbol). It will cut the head of ……. Jai Shri Ram.”

He had also said if anyone raises a hand against Hindus and if they thought Hindus were weak and leaderless,he would cut his hand. Gandhi,however,claimed that the video footage of his speeches was tampered with.

Varun also wondered why the CD was made public after a gap of 12 days on March 16 whereas he made the speech on March 5.

In Patna,Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar termed Varun’s Pilibhit speech as condemnable.

“I have not seen the TV footage (of Varun’s speech),but from what I have come to know,his statement hurt the sensibilities of a section of the society. Anything that is said during an election or otherwise that hurts the sentiments of any community is condemnable,” Kumar said when his comments was sought on the matter.

Terming BJP Varun’s speech as contrary to secular democracy,Congress said BJP will be seen as a co-conspirator if it does not take action against him.

Union Minister Kapil Sibal said when cognisance has been taken by the Election Commission that a prima facie offence has been committed,whether Varun denies it or not is not relevant.

“The leadership of BJP will take action because if they don’t,then it will be seen that they are the co-conspirators in this,” he said in Delhi.

Alleging the speech was aimed at polarising votes,Sibal said,”I am not concerned with the nature and quality of the speech. It is abhorrent; it is contrary to the basic foundations of our secular democracy”.