Maneka Gandhi says she's happy in BJP, wants to look after Sultanpur as a mother
Maneka Gandhi sets at rest speculations about her son Varun Gandhi campaigning for her in the Lok Sabha elections.
Former Union minister and Sultanpur MP Maneka Gandhi said on Monday she was happy being in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and that she wanted to take care of Sultanpur like a “mother” even as she set at rest speculations of her son Varun Gandhi campaigning for her.
“Varun and his wife are both battling high viral fever and then my sister-in-law had only recently suffered a stroke. So, you can say that these days there is disease in the family and even if he wanted, he wouldn’t have been able to come. But even otherwise, he wouldn’t have come,” said Maneka soon after her arrival in Sultanpur.
“I had made a list of some 60 tasks for Sultanpur of which I have been able to finish around 24-25. I am referring to big tasks here. So that is my agenda, to make Sultanpur beautiful, keep the people happy and to take care of the constituency like a mother. What else can I do?,” she said.
Unlike three-time MP Varun Gandhi, who was dropped from Pilibhit this time, Maneka has been renamed as the party candidate from Sultanpur from where she had won by a margin of just 14,000 votes in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Back then, after his campaign was over, Varun had briefly campaigned for his mother in Sultanpur. When reminded of the same, Maneka said, “So can’t I take care of my campaign myself?”.
To still persistent media who waited for her to make some more comment on Varun, she said, “Party kamaan sambhaley (party should take care of the campaign).” To queries seeking her response over Varun’s next course of action, she said, “You must ask Varun for his response to this.”
“I am happy being in the BJP,” she said and thanked PM Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda for renominating her as the candidate from Sultanpur.
“I am happy at being renominated the party candidate from Sultanpur as this constituency has a history of none of its past MPs returning,” she said. Commenting over the delay on her candidature, she said, “I think the delay was because there was some confusion in the party whether to field me from Sultanpur or from my previous constituency (Pilibhit).”
To queries on reports of Congress even offering Amethi Lok Sabha seat to Varun, she said, “I will not comment on any of this and you too must drop this subject now.”
