The Hindu : Front Page : Shiv Sena asks BJP to back Varun Gandhi

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Thursday, Mar 19, 2009
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Shiv Sena asks BJP to back Varun Gandhi

Meena Menon

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena has come out strongly in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate for the Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency, Varun Gandhi, whose alleged communal remarks have raised a controversy.

In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamna on Wednesday, the Sena even expressed its admiration for Varun’s father Sanjay Gandhi, saying if he was alive the Congress would not have been so wishy-washy on the issue of fundamentalism in the Muslim community.

The editorial says that Mr. Varun Gandhi, was indeed speaking the truth. The code of conduct for elections meant that people had to talk, write and do everything carefully. Only Hindus had to be careful while it was free-for-all for Muslims.

Waxing eloquence on Mr. Gandhi, the editorial observes that the young man is a forceful reminder of his father. It is like Sanjay Gandhi is reborn and speaking through his son. Not sparing his mother Maneka Gandhi, the editorial says that she vacated the Pilibhit seat for her son so that she could spend the rest of her life caring for stray dogs, cats and birds.

It is Mr. Varun Gandhi who has his father’s qualities. Sanjay Gandhi was controversial but he did not stoop to woo Muslims voters, the editorial says.

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