The Hindu : Varun makes his debut with a bang

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 22, 2004

National

National

Varun makes his debut with a bang

By Our Special Correspondent

Varun Gandhi shares a lighter moment with senior BJP leader, Pramod Mahajan, at a function in Mumbai on Saturday. - Photo: Vivek Bendre

MUMBAI, FEB. 21. A successful debut of the youngest Gandhi on the party platform here today was a real "feel good factor" for the Bharatiya Janata Party though the performance was before home audience, hardcore activists of the party.

Varun Gandhi, who recently joined the BJP was applauded for several minutes as he reached the microphone and, as if trained for the occasion, he began with a line that would appeal the party cadre most — a rather sarcastic remark on his aunt and the Congress leader, Sonia Gandhi.

"I am hesitant and I have also brought a written speech but if I read it, you would think that I am a reader and not a leader," Mr. Gandhi opened and touched the funny bone of the BJP workers. He was the chief guest at the felicitation function of the Maharashtra BJP president, Gopinath Munde. The audience comprised electoral booth-in-charge of the party — each supposed to be taking care of a thousand voters.

His second jibe was against the aunt's foreign origin. It was in the form of a clarion call based on Abraham Lincoln's quotation. "Why should we not make such an India which is of Indians, by Indians and for Indians?" He said that India under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had started commanding respect all over the world and the coming 25 years belonged to India.

He made no bones about the fact that he was new. "Just now I was going through a book and after a good 10 minutes I realised that it was not in Hindi but in Marathi," he said in clear Hindi. "Before coming here, I had gone to the Siddhivinayak temple to see the deity and now I am seeing you," he said.

Mr. Gandhi said he was asked why he joined a communal party and his counter was what had the Congress given to the minorities except hunger, unemployment and fears. He said that the communal violence had declined in the BJP rule.

The compere remarked that "it was his first speech in Hindi that he did not read but delivered and this shows he is the real Gandhi.

"The BJP workers were jubilant and found a charismatic young leader, apparently, no longer worried about the onslaught by Varun's cousins, Rahul and Priyanka. Now the BJP would deploy him for the electoral campaign.

The BJP general secretary, Pramod Mahajan, praised him and called him a good orator having good political knowledge.

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