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Varun Gandhi files nomination from Pilibhit

4:22 AM
Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Varun Gandhi , who is on a two week parole after being jailed for his alleged hate-speeches, on Wednesday filed his nomination papers to fight the Lok Sabha elections from Pilibhit constituency.

Gandhi, the 29-year-old new Hindutva poster-boy of the BJP, was accompanied by his mother Maneka Gandhi while filing his papers at the District Magistrate office in Pilibhit for the elections to be held on May 13 in this seat.

A large number of his supporters and media-persons were seen outside the office as the BJP leader, who is contesting against his uncle and Congress leader P M Singh, filed the nomination.

Tight security arrangements were made near the DM office to prevent any untoward incident. He has kept the event low-key as the district administration denied permission for a procession of his supporters to accompany him while filing of nominations.

Gandhi, grandson of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and son of Sanjay Gandhi, is making his electoral debut with the Lok Sabha polls.

A controversy raged over his candidature following his anti-Muslim speeches during campaign in Pilibhit and was arrested under National Securities Act. Earlier, addressing a public meeting in Nawabganj before filing the nominations, Gandhi said "non-violence is his religion" and his country taught him to respect and love others.

Varun cannot be gagged, says BJP

In another development, the BJP on Wednesday said its Pilibhit candidate could not be gagged from speaking on several issues and he would be certainly used by the party for campaigning in other parts of the country.

"Certainly, we are going to use him in the campaign. I don't think he can be gagged from speaking on various issues, as long as his remarks are within the limits of law and the undertaking he has given to the Supreme Court," BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley said in New Delhi.

Jaitely said Varun would abstain from making such speeches that brought him into media glare and it was up to the party to use the young Gandhi's services. "I am sure that kind of statements will be nowhere part of the campaign. If you are asking me the party should not use him, I don't agree to that suggestion," the BJP leader told NDTV.

"Mind you, this is only his first election. He has to win from Pilibhit. I am sure he will win. He will campaign in some adjacent constituencies. There are some other areas where there is a good amount of demand for him and the party, if it thinks, will send him there." he added.
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Varun approaches SC challenging NSA

12:30 PM
Varun Gandhi. BJP leader. Photo Courtesy: APBJP leader Varun Gandhi on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court challenging invoking of National Security Act (NSA) against him by Uttar Pradesh government for allegedly inciting communal tension.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi and Sandeep Kapoor appeared on behalf of Varun before a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and sought permission to file the petition.

The Bench allowed their plea that the petition be included in the mentioning list for tomorrow.

The Uttar Pradesh government had booked Varun under the National Security Act on Sunday for the hate speeches.

Gandhi was shifted last night under heavy security from the district prison here, official sources said.

Meanwhile, seeking to make Varun Gandhi's detention under NSA a major poll issue, BJP has constituted a panel led by its former president M Venkaiah Naidu to assess the situation on the ground and report back to its top leadership.

A special meeting of the office bearers has also been convened on Friday to discuss the situation.

According to sources, Singh has deputed Naidu and UP BJP chief Ramapathi Tripathi to visit Gandhi in Etah jail tomorrow.

Naidu and Tripathi would be presenting a detailed report on the situation after talking to Gandhi and the local leadership, sources added.

The report would be discussed at a meeting of the office bearers of the party convened by Singh on Friday.

"The meeting would chalk out the future strategy of the party vis-a-vis Varun Gandhi. It is also aimed at presenting a uniform view among the top leadership on the issue," a senior party leader told PTI.

"I can only say that the UPA and Mayawati government should stop playing with fire. Imposing NSA while the charges have been denied by Varun Gandhi himself is unjustified. The veracity of the tapes should be established," party chief Rajnath Singh told reporters in Raipur today.

“I can only say at this point of time that all "options are open for the party. The government should make proper arrangement for ensuring security of Varun Gandhi," Singh said declining to comment whether the party would provide legal support.

The BJP candidate from Pilibhit, booked under National Security Act for his hate speeches, has been shifted to a high-security Etah jail following intelligence inputs that underworld don Chota Shakeel was hatching a conspiracy to kill him.

No threat to Varun: UP Govt

Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday refuted media reports that underworld don Chota Shakeel was plotting to kill Varun Gandhi, booked under the stringent National security act, saying the BJP leader was transferred to high-security Etah jail only to ensure peaceful elections.

"News reports appearing in a section of media today is far from truth," Director General of Police Vikram Singh told reporters here while reacting to reports in this regard.

Singh said the state government had sought the Election Commission's permission to transfer Gandhi, the BJP candidate from Pilibhit, to Etah jail to ensure peaceful conduct of elections and to maintain public order in the constituency.

"On the basis of permission given by the EC, Varun was transferred to Etah jail last night," said Singh, who was flanked by principal secretary home Fateh Bahadur Singh.

 According to official sources, Intelligence agencies had informed the state government a week ago about an intercepted telephonic conversation between Pakistan-based Shakeel and his key shooter Rashid.

It indicated a plot to kill 29-year-old Gandhi, the day he came to surrender at a Pilibhit Court.

Rashid was arrested in Karnataka last week after intelligence agencies intercepted the telephonic conversation between Shakeel and his aides between March 15-21, the sources said.
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Varun remarks ‘very unfortunate’: PM

2:23 AM
manmohan-singhlpg7

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday termed as “very unfortunate” the hate remarks attributed to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Varun Gandhi.

“If what has been attributed to him is true, then it is very, very unfortunate,” Manmohan Singh told reporters on the sidelines of the civil investiture ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here.

“He has a distinguished legacy. Right from the time of (India’s first prime minister) Jawaharlal Nehru, his (Nehru-Gandhi) family has devoted their life to the cause of secularism.

“I speak more in sorrow than in anger,” the prime minister said, the second time he has commented on the subject.

Varun Gandhi, the 29-year-old grandson of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, courted controversy after his reported speeches, which he claims were doctored, in March in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh where the BJP has named him its candidate for the Lok Sabha elections.

He is reported to have said: “If somebody lifts a hand against Hindus, or thinks they are weak, (that) there is nobody behind them, then I swear on the (Bhagvad) Gita that I will cut off that hand.”

The Election Commission reprimanded him while the police lodged a criminal case against him for the incendiary remarks.

Varun Gandhi was initially booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of People Act for “promoting enmity” and acts “prejudicial to maintenance of harmony”.

The police later booked him for arson and rioting following the violent incidents preceding his arrest in Pilibhit Saturday.

While Varun Gandhi has been bailed out in the original case, he remains behind bars after the Uttar Pradesh government charged him under the National Security Act (NSA).
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For Mayawati, Varun Gandhi = Mohd. Afzal = Kasab

12:50 PM
What do Varun Gandhi, Mohd. Afzal and Kasab have in common? All of them have been booked in National Security Act. Varun Gandhi was granted bail in cases related to provacative speeches, section 144 and Representation of People Act. by Chief Judicial Magistrate Vipin Kumar. However, Mayawati Government has booked him under National Security Act, which is meant for terrorists. Under the act, Varun Gandhi can look forward to stay in jail for the next 3 months before his can be considered by review committee.
It is being seen as a blatant attempt to garner votes of Muslim fundamentalists in backward areas of Uttar Pradesh.
Responding to his arrest, there have been streams of faint voices that have expressed surprise over the move.
A person commented on Rediff.com discussions with a comment:
"Indian public is watching media response on misuse of NSA law. Media is been silent of this misuse but was very critical on TADA. This is the dual mentality of media which is not acceptable. Why this media is biased so much? If you use the law against terrorists then media and human activists cry foul. It seams terrorists are more close to Indian media and Human rights activist."
Varun Gandhi has become one of the most popular searches on Google. A majority of comments on the BJP leader are of condemning the use of NSA on him.
There is a point that in case he has made an inflammatory speech (which he denies), he has already been given bail. There is no way National Security Act can be imposed on him. Its a clear misuse of law for political gains.
Glad that POTA has been scrapped otherwise Varun Gandhi would have been arrested under POTA and police would have taken him on remand. It clearly shows that if you give sword to a monkey (its not racial, its a saying!), the monkey can chop you.
Muslims should also see through this garb of Mayawati and should join together to give her a resounding defeat in this election to show that they will not stand for injustice and misuse of power.
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Varun Gandhi faces charges under stringent NSA

9:22 AM
Mumbai, Mar 29 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Sunday said the Bollywood actor-turned-politician Govinda has expressed unwillingness to contest the upcoming general elections.


“Govinda has declined the offer to contest the Lok Sabha elections again,” Chavan told reporters at State Congress party office here.

Govinda is the Congress MP from Mumbai North parliamentary constituency. He won the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from the constituency after defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Ram Naik.

The Chief Minister informed that actress Nagma has shown keenness to contest from the seat.

“Nagma is one of the applicants from this constituency,” he added.
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“He deserves much more than this:” Congress

5:27 AM
New Delhi, Mar 25 : Hours after the Allahabad High Court dimissed the bail petition of BJP’s Pilibhit candidate Varun Gandhi in connection with his alleged hate remarks against Muslims, the Congress Party today said he deserved much worse than this.

“Varun Gandhi deserves much worse than mere dismissal of the petition because he has deliberately tried to create communal polarisation,” AICC Spokesman Abishek Manu Singhvi told UNI here today.

“But we have no doubt that the BJP will invent yet another excuse to justify giving him a ticket and continue to support such pratcies,” he said.

On March 19 the BJP leader Varun moved the Allahabad High Court challenging the criminal case lodged against him on the directives of the Election Commission for his alleged communal remarks.

A division bench comprising Justice Imtiaz Mumtaz and S C Nigam today dismissed the petition of Gandhi after hearing his counsel.

The court, however, did not specify reason for the dismissal.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had given him an interim anticipatory bail.
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After HC blow, Varun to move Supreme Court

5:14 AM
In a big blow to Varun Gandhi, his attempt to quash the FIR against him for making a hate speech in Pilibhit has failed.

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday rejected his plea, saying there was a prima facie case against him.

The court however said there is no need to stay his arrest since the Delhi High Court has already given him anticipatory bail.

But that bail expires on the 27th of this month. Since the FIR against Varun stands, and he could face arrest after the 27th, he has now decided to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Election Commission had come out strongly against the BJP's candidate's hate-speech against Muslims in Pilibhit. Varun claims that the tapes have been doctored.

PTI adds:

In its order, a division bench comprising justices Imtiyaz Murtaza and S C Nigam said, "the petition stands dismissed".

In his petition, 29-year-old Varun had challenged the FIR filed on March 17 at Barkheda Police Station under Sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion) and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act.

He has also alleged that the video footage of a public meeting, on the basis of which the Election Commission had taken the action, "had been tampered with" and did not contain his voice.
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Varun Gandhi will remain BJP candidate from Pilibhit: Balbir Punj

3:00 AM
NEW DELHI: The BJP on Monday announced that Varun Gandhi will remain the BJP’s candidate from Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, a day after the Election Commission’s order which severely indicted Gandhi for his anti-Muslim speeches and asked BJP not to field him as a candidate in the Lok Sabha polls.

“Varun Gandhi is the BJP candidate in Pilibhit. What I am telling you is the outcome of the consultations among the BJP leaders," Balbir Punj confirmed.

Lashing out at the Election Commission over its order, the BJP spokesperson said the commission’s order on Varun Gandhi was biased. “EC has no right to give advice to parties about who should be a candidate,” he said.

"We have turned down the decision of the EC. It has no right to give such an advice."

This is the considered stand of the BJP and I am speaking as the authorised spokesman of the party," Punj added.

A short while ago, BJP's Prakash Javdekar also slammed the EC, saying it was not the EC's job to decide who should contest the polls and any action with regard to someone's candidature could be taken only by the courts.

"This is matter of code of conduct. Varun Gandhi has raised doubts on the authenticity of the CD. EC has chosen to give a judgement without any examination. It seems EC has turned into an investigating agency and a forensic laboratory...After receiving formal letter from EC, we will give a view on it at a proper time," Javdekar said.

"This is not the advisory function of the Election Commission...if somebody makes such remarks, this is not the BJP's policy or viewpoint," he added.

While asking the BJP not to field Varun, EC on Sunday said, "Any such move would be perceived as endorsing his unpardonable acts of inciting violence and creating feelings of enmity and hatred between different classes of citizens of India, destroying the social, democratic and plural fabric of the country, as enshrined in the Constitution of India."

Saying it was unconvinced by Varun's explanation, the EC termed his reply a recourse to "wriggle out of the situation which he has created by making inflammatory and highly derogatory speeches".

Earlier today, Balbir Punj also suggested that strained relations between Sonia Gandhi and Maneka Gandhi were another reason for the Election Commission's decision. "There are candidates with criminal charges in other parties also. Sanjay Dutt of SP, who was indicted by the TADA court, and Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar of Congress, who are facing charges in connection with anti-Sikh riots. Why has an exception been made only to Varun Gandhi?"

Punj told reporters that "the world knows about the strained relationship between Sonia Gandhi and Maneka Gandhi (Varun's mother).

"We also know about the proximity of the CEC-designate Navin Chawla with Congress and its leadership. I would not like to comment anything on it."

Meanwhile, the EC has denied being biased in the Varun Gandhi hate speech case. Reacting to the BJP's accusations that the EC has been biased, sources have said that the Election Commission has defended itself saying it will contest any cases brought against it in the Varun Gandhi alleged hate speech case.
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Election Commission indicts Varun Gandhi for hate speeches

10:56 AM
New Delhi, March 22 : The Election Commission Sunday night held Varun Gandhi, a Bharartiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee for Lok Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh, guilty of breaching the model code of conduct and asked the party not to field him as candidate.

“The two speeches (by Varun Gandhi) contained highly derogatory references and seriously provocative language of a wholly unacceptable nature against a certain community,” the Election Commission order said.

“The commission considered the speeches as a grave violation of the model code of conduct, apart from amounting to promoting feelings of enmity and hatred between different classes on the ground of religion, outraging the religious feeling of a particular community, and promoting hatred and ill-will between two classes of citizens and provoking a section of the citizens to indulge in violence,” the order said.

“Any sponsorship of his candidature by the BJP, or any other political party at this election, would be perceived as endorsing his unpardonable acts of inciting violence and creating feelings of enmity and hatred between different classes of citizens of India, destroying the social, democratic and plural fabric of the country,” it said.
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Delhi HC grants anticipatory bail to Varun Gandhi

4:34 AM
New Delhi, Mar 20 : The Delhi High Court today granted anticipatory bail to BJP Lok Sabha candidate Varun Gandhi restraining the police from arresting him till the Allahabad High Court decides on his petition in connection with his alleged communal speeches.

Justice Reva Khetrapal granted Varun's plea, while rejecting the submission of Delhi Police that the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the petition as the FIR against him was lodged in Uttar Pradesh.

Varun, in his petition before the Allahabad High Court, sought quashing of the FIR registered against him in Philibit for his alleged inflammatory and communal speeches.
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EC issues fresh notices to Varun Gandhi,BJP says both violated poll code

11:23 AM
Bharatiya Janata Party
New Delhi, Mar.19 : The Election Commission on Wednesday slapped fresh notices on both Varun Gandhi and the Bharatiya Janata Party seeking their response by Friday to what it termed were clear violations of the Model Code of Conduct.

Gandhi has been charged with issuing anti-communal statements during a rally in his Pilibhit constituency, and the Election Commission has even ordered a video tracking of his entire campaign.

“The commission is of the opinion that the above action on your part amounts to violation of the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct,” the EC said in its notice, referring to the speeches made by Gandhi in Mohalla Dalchand, Kotwali Pilibhit and Kasba Barkheda in Uttar Pradesh on March 7 and 8.

“Therefore, you are called upon to explain by 11 hours on March 20 as to why action should not be taken against you,” the EC said, a day after filing a criminal case against Gandhi for his inflammatory utterances.

In its notice to the president of the BJP, Rajnath Singh, the EC said that it was of the opinion that the action of Gandhi as a member of the BJP amounted to a violation of Model Code of Conduct and asked it to reply by Friday as to why the party disregarded and violated the provisions of the Code.

The commission said it has received a report of the district election officer, Pilibhit, on Tuesday stating: “you (Gandhi) have violated the Model Code of Conduct by inciting communal feeling through your speeches”. A copy of the CD was sent to both Gandhi and the party.

The Election Commission also suspended two senior officials of Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh and transferred two others on the charge of failing to act against Varun Gandhi for his alleged inflammatory speech.

While the Additional District Magistrate and Additional SP were suspended, the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police have been shifted and would not be given any election-related work.
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Bloggers slam BJP Varun's 'hate speech'

1:52 AM
BJP leader Varun Gandhi, who is caught in the line of fire for his 'hate speech', may be claiming that the tapes have been doctored, the blog world is abuzz with many of them slamming the young Gandhi.

One of the bloggers has written, "Hindus don't need Varun Gandhi to protect them. It is deplorable that even the younger crop indulges in such non-issues."

Another blogger said "Does Varun Need to be Reminded of Who an Indian Is? Or Is he so stuck Neck Deep in Divisive Politics of Hate that he wants to be left there. The Only way he can make it to the News is through his un-Indian Remarks. Some one tell him to go and stay with a Dalit Household for a Night and see and feel what the True India is. It is not about Voting Politics but understanding what this country stands for. If Varun is willing to Scrape the Indian Preamble of a "Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic" Every State in India will want an Independent Nation free from UP, Bihar Politics."

"This is disgusting and vile. The best way to reign in Varun would be for his own party to condemn him," another blogger said.

Others have described the move as 'sad and shocking, coming from a 28-year-old politician who was praised as a poet and a man of vision'.

Meanwhile, caught in the line of fire over attacking Muslims in his constituency Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, Varun Gandhi said that he will be holding a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Speaking to NDTV, he said he will be making a detailed rebuttal of the tape containing his speech.

He has also questioned the authenticity of the CD, which is being shown and said parts of the tape have been slashed and doctored.

Questioning the authenticity of the tapes, he said why is so much of the footage blurry and shot from a distance? And why was the CD released so many days after it was recorded?

"I make no reference to Muslims on tape and I have made no abusive remarks about Muslim. I only refer to Hindus in the context of the rape of four Hindu girls," he said.
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Varun's hate politics a well thought out strategy?

1:47 AM
Anant Zanane
Pilibhit, Mar 18 : BJP leader Varun Gandhi's 'hate speech' against Muslims in Pilibhit has shocked, embarrassed and puzzled many.

Pilibhit's five-time MP Maneka Gandhi is not commenting on her son's hate speech. But Maneka's 13 years of work in Pilibhit could be ruined by Varun Gandhi's campaign of hate against Muslims.

But was it a sudden outburst or a carefully thought out political strategy? (Watch)


Pilibhit, near Bareily in north west Uttar Pradesh, is a communally sensitive area and after delimitation, the constituency has about 1,20,000 more Muslim voters. In all, there will be over 4,20,000 Muslims voters in these elections.

The numbers, giving an edge to Riaz Ahmed, the SP candidate and Varun's main rival. He is the man the young Gandhi even called Osama Bin laden.

"Maneka Gandhi is not contesting this time as she knows she is going to loose," he said.

Varun Gandhi needs every non-Muslim vote he can get. But his tactic of such a direct attack on Muslims doesn't seem to have many takers.

"They are trying to divide the vote bank into Hindus and Muslims. They are sure that they won't get the Muslim vote so why not try for the Hindus only?" a local resident said.

Varun is saying the tapes have been doctored but many others are suggesting a clear motive behind it; an attempt to polarise the Hindu-Muslim vote in the constituency where he is contesting from. But it is a strategy that could have badly misfired. It seems that this is the time for a rethink for Varun Gandhi to keep Pilibhit.
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