The Hindu : Front Page : ‘I am a proud Hindu’

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Thursday, Mar 19, 2009
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‘I am a proud Hindu’

Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI: BJP candidate for the Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency Varun Gandhi on Wednesday reiterated that the tapes of his speech aired by some channels were “doctored” and there was a “political conspiracy” to defame him. He said he made a speech in early March and it was telecast on March 16. “Why the delay?” he asked.

“I am a Gandhi, a Hindu and an Indian in equal measure,” he told some journalists.

It seems that Mr. Gandhi planned to address a press conference at the party office. But permission was not given. A leader said, “We were afraid. We were not sure what he might say. He was told that if he had something to tell the press he should organise it himself.”

Following this, Mr. Gandhi addressed select media representatives at his mother Maneka Gandhi’s residence.

IANS reports:

“I am proud of my faith, and am not apologising for it,” Mr. Gandhi told reporters while reading out a written statement. Calling himself a “proud Hindu,” he said since the announcement of parliamentary elections, the Pilibhit constituency was witness to communally provocative incidents and its Hindu residents were “under siege.”

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