Virtually dismissing the possibility of BJP MP Varun Gandhi’s induction into the Congress, party MP and his cousin Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that they are not ideologically aligned. “My family has an ideology. Varun adopted another and I can’t accept that ideology,” Rahul said at a press conference. This is possibly the first time that Rahul has spoken about his cousin, the BJP MP from UP’s Pilibhit and son of Maneka and Sanjay Gandhi.
There has been a buzz over Varun being discontent with the BJP over his mother Maneka Gandhi and him being sidelined by the party leadership. Media reports have also fuelled talks of the BJP leader considering a switch to the Congress. However, Rahul’s remarks today have virtually shut down that possibility — if it was ever under consideration on either side.
“Varun Gandhi is in BJP, if he walks here then it might be a problem for him. My ideology doesn’t match his ideology. I can never go to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)’s office; I’ll have to be beheaded before that. My family has an ideology. At some point in time, and maybe even today, Varun adopted another, and I can’t accept that ideology. I can meet him, hug him but I can’t accept that ideology,” Rahul told reporters in Punjab.
The buzz over Varun considering a switch gathered momentum largely owing to his own utterances and actions. The past two years or so have seen Varun adopt a combative tone against the BJP in his columns, comments and speeches. Trouble began when Varun started to openly question the actions and policies of his own party and its leadership on public fora.
Notably, Varun’s mother Maneka Gandhi was dropped as a minister in the Modi Cabinet following the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Varun left many observers shocked when he said that he is neither against Jawahar Lal Nehru nor Congress at a recent public meeting in his Lok Sabha constituency.
“Neither I am against Nehru ji nor am I against the Congress; our politics should aim to bring people together rather than inciting a civil war; today, those people, who are garnering votes only in the name of religion and caste need to be asked what they are doing on serious issues like employment, education or for health; we should not do politics that believes in crushing or oppressing people; we need to do politics that uplifts people,” Varun said in his speech in Hindi.