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| Angry is Maneka Gandhi's son | | Varun serves ultimatum to BJP | |
POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, OCT. 11: Varun Gandhi has virtually put the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on notice to spell out his future in the party. Varun has conveyed to the party leadership that he would wait until December to know what plans they have for them before charting out his future plans.
There are indications that Varun Gandhi may opt between the Congress party and the Samajwadi Party. With an eye on the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, both parties have already sent him feelers after his claim to contest the October 30 Vidisha Lok Sabha by-election was overlooked last week. A media savvy Varun is currently avoiding airing his disappointment in public.
Sources close to him, however, say that he is extremely upset at denial of nomination after having been promised the seat well in advance. "Since his entry to Parliament stands blocked for the time being, Varun will wait until December to make up his mind," sources said. BJP's internal elections are scheduled to conclude by then following which a new set of office bearers would be named.
Varun has made it clear that anything less than the post of national general secretary may not be acceptable to him. Sources say cousins, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, have spoken to him extending invitation to join the Congress party. They have apparently told him that if he has to part ways with the BJP, he should consider joining the party of their forefathers.
Aunt Sonia Gandhi is the national president of the Congress party while Rahul Gandhi is a member of the Lok Sabha. Varun is quite close to Priyanka. Although their mothers are not on talking terms, Varun has always remained in touch with both his cousins. Even while campaigning for the BJP during the 2004 general elections, Varun refused to criticise them and turned down the BJP's desire to campaign against Sonia and Rahul.
Priyanka is understood to have told Varun that he should seriously reconsider his future in the BJP, pointing out he should not expect anything big if they could not honour their commitment to nominate him from Vidisha. Alarmed by reports of Varun being wooed by Sonia's children, BJP has come out with an explanation and promise. Senior party leader, M. Venkaiah Naidu, considered Man Friday of party chief, Rajnath Singh, clarified that there was no opposition to Varun's candidature from the Madhya Pradesh unit of the party. He said that the State unit wanted someone local to be fielded and the national leadership complied with their wish.
"Varun Gandhi, the sole member of the Nehru-Gandhi family in the BJP, is a youngster with a bright future ahead of him in the party and none should see this [denial of nomination] as an end. We have good use for him and will certainly want his services for the party," Naidu said.
The BJP has now earmarked Gwalior seat of Madhya Pradesh and Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh for Varun Gandhi. Both these seats are currently vacant along with eight others after 10 lawmakers were disqualified after being caught in the cash-for-query scam late last year. The Supreme Court has stayed holding by-elections on these seats. There is no indication if the apex court would allow election on these seats soon. That leaves the BJP just one option of offering him a senior position in the party or witnesses its star catch leaving it for a rival party.
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