Lashing out at his opponents Bahujan Samaj party and Congress for misusing of stringent National Security Act (NSA) against Varun Gandhi to gain political mileage, BJP president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said his party supports the BJP candidate from Pilibhit “politically and legally”.

‘It is quite unfortunate what’s happening with Varun today.

He is victim of the dirty politics. The party condemns this joint act of BSP and Congress for resorting to NSA, and stands by Varun Gandhi politically and legally,’ said Rajnath Singh at a rally in Jaipur.

“The Congress and BSP have created an Emergency-like situation by exploiting the NSA. Varun Gandhi has no criminal record. Invoking NSA against him is unlawful,” the BJP president echoed, and added, “The BJP will not remain passive.”

On Tuesday night, Varun Gandhi was shifted to Etah jail owing to security reasons. He was earlier lodged in the district jail in Pilibhit.

The decision was taken after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other organizations called the one-day shutdown in the entire Bareilly region Wednesday to protest Varun Gandhi’s detention under the NSA.

On Sunday Mayawati government had booked the young Gandhi, who is to début in politics as a BJP candidate from the Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency, for making inflammatory speeches during a public meetings held at Kalganj (March 7) and Barkhera area (March 8) or Pilibhit district.

According to the NSA provision, an accused booked under this Act can be detained for up to a year without trial, beginning with an initial three-month detention. The accused must be conveyed the grounds for his detention within five days, and the case must come before an advisory board, headed by a retired or serving High Court judge, within three weeks.

The advisory board can either sustain or annul detention. In the former case, the government can detain him for up to a year and in the latter case accused would have to be released.