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Will Varun Gandhi be welcomed in Congress's yatra? Rahul underlines ‘problem’
The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which started from Kanyakumari on September 7, has so far covered parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra and Haryana.
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BJP MP Varun Gandhi, who has been critical of several policy decisions of the Narendra Modi government, recently turned heads when he spoke against “Hindu-Muslim politics”. In a video widely circulated on social media, Varun Gandhi can be heard saying that he is neither against Congress nor Pandit Nehru.
“The politics of our country should be to unite the country, not the politics of creating civil war. We should not do politics that suppress people, rather we should do politics that uplifts people,” the BJP MP from Pilibhit said.
“TV and newspapers are only doing Hindu-Muslim, Hindu-Muslim and caste politics. Divide brothers and kill brothers. We will not let this politics happen,” he added.
Political pundits were quick to draw a similarity between Varun Gandhi's remarks and his elder cousin brother Rahul Gandhi's speech near the Red Fort during Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress's mass outreach programme. Varun Gandhi's statement triggered fresh speculations on the possibility of the BJP leader switching to the grand old party.
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On Saturday, a reporter asked Rahul Gandhi if there is a place for Varun Gandhi in Congress. To this, the Wayanad MP said he should ask the party president.
When pressed about whether Varun Gandhi will be welcomed in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which will pass through western Uttar Pradesh in January, Rahul Gandhi said, “Swagat toh kisi ka bhi hai, but wo BJP ke hain toh unka wahan problem toh hoga. (Everyone is welcome, but he belongs to the BJP, so he will have a problem there.)”
On the allegations of violating the laid security guidelines, Rahul Gandhi said the government wants him to do the yatra in a bullet-proof car.
"How is this possible? I feel it's just a case being framed against me," he said after the CRPF alleged that the Congress leader violated security protocol 113 times since 2020.
