Click to play videoWhen he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the party was proud that it had got its own Gandhi. Now Varun Feroze Gandhi, son of Sanjay and Maneka Gandhi is in big trouble as the Election Commission has filed a criminal case against him for allegedly making a communal speech at Pilibhit.
Varun has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the People's Representative Act for "promoting enmity" and acts "prejudicial to maintenance of harmony".
The BJP leader insisted that the CD had been doctored and denied that he ever made any such speeches. The BJP, which was preparing to pit Varun the great-grandson of Jawahar Lal Nehru, against his cousin Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, but is now trying to save face.
Face The Elections debated: Should Varun Gandhi be banned from contesting elections?
SMS polls at the beginning of the show stood at 65 per cent saying 'Yes' and 35 per cent saying 'No'.
To discuss the issue on the panel were BJP spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh, Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari and Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar. The discussion was moderated by CNN-IBN Senior Editor Sagarika Ghose.
The videos of Varun reportedly delivering a vitriolic speech against Muslims makes one wonder if the BJP has any official stand on this debacle at all.
BJP’s Siddharth Nath Singh said that the matter is with the Election Commission which is investigating the CD. "Varun Gandhi has said that the CD has been doctored, he will file a reply with the Election Commission. I think we should all wait for the reports and then make our judgments," said Siddharth Nath Singh.
"Whatever is being shown on the TV, if that be the case (in reality), then the BJP definitely does not subscribe to the ideology and this is not the BJP way at all," said Singh.
But can the Congress claim to be free of having any such leaders in the party who make pernicious and communal speeches?
"Well a sweeping indictment based on generalisation cannot get the BJP off the hook. What the young Mr Gandhi has done is absolutely reprehensible, not at all condonable," said Manish Tiwari.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party should get out of the glib talk that they are indulging in. Here is somebody who has clearly violated the canons of the Indian Constitution, assaulted Indian secularism," commented Tiwari.
Singh said, "Mr Tiwari is forgetting what the Congress has been doing in the past, and the actions of what had happened during the Sikh riots, about Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar."
Tiwari interrupted him to say that the hate culture emanated from BJP. Siddharth Nath Singh drew attention to the Bhagalpur riots and the Nellie (Assam) massacres which were communal in nature.
Javed Akhtar said that what really disturbed and disappointed him deeply about Varun Gandhi’s speech was that it came from a man who was from the lineage of a man (Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru) who was the symbol of a liberal, secular and modern India.
"I hang my head in shame that anybody who has even a drop of blood in his veins could speak like that," added Javed Akhtar. He also said that the same was however expected from any member of the BJP.
Singh took serious objections to Javed Akhtar's branding the BJP as a communal party.
"It is high time this nation and people like you (Javed Akhtar) speak about what is communalism and secularism all about. When we are all talking about the vote bank politics practiced by not only the Congress but also by other parties, that is called secularism and not communalism," said Singh dubbing that as pseudo-secularism.
Javed Akhtar said, "Lets not discuss whether the BJP is communal or not. Even the dumbest citizen of this country knows that and understands it."
"The question is are we going to allow hate-speech in this country? This is not the first time or the first person. What about Mr Narendra Modi," Akhtar said.
Singh raised his objection to the mention of Gujarat in isolation.
"He (Javed Akhtar) talks about Mr Narendra Modi and about Gujarat but does not want to talk about the other issues like Bhagalpur or the Nellie which involved 3,000 people," Singh demanded.
There are many groups that say things like Islam is in danger using the communal rhetoric on the Muslim side. But the Congress chooses to speak only against the BJP, so does the Congress have a Hindu fixation?
Javed Akhtar said that he has always spoken against minority communalism and against the minority reactionary leaders. "At the moment we are talking about a particular issue. We are talking of 2009, talk about this," said Akhtar.
So should Varun Gandhi be barred from contesting elections?
Javed Akhtar refused to give any reaction on that and rested that issue on the Election Commission. "It is for the Election Commission to decide and I am sure they will take the right decision."
"The Bharatiya Janata Party, as usual talks nonsense. The fact of the matter is that they are a fundamentalist and communal party. Insofar as accusing the Congress of any form of communalism, it is a complete hogwash," said Manish Tiwari.
Should the BJP look at the people's mood across the country and get into a damage control mode? Should the BJP, if it wants to gain allies and if it wants to establish itself as a modern party, act against Varun Gandhi? Should the BJP either expel him, suspend him from primary membership of the party?
Javed Akhtar said, "The BJP is in a dilemma. It is now a paradox for them. If they act against people who make hate speeches, they will lose their basic constituency. If they don't, their allies will be uncomfortable," said Javed Akhtar. "Either ways they are the losers. They are in total chaos and confusion," said Akhtar.
"Whatever they have believed and played so far, has become obsolete and meaningles. So come what may, whatever they do will not help them," Akhtar said alomost forecasting doom for the party.
"BJP does not preach division in the society, nor the vote bank politics. BJP does not divide on the basis of religion. These are the fundamental, basic fabric of India. BJP believes in pure secularism, does nor appeasement of anyone, equality to all," claimed Singh.
Akhtar thought Singh had a great sense of humour. Singh returned the compliment, reminding that it was a serious issue that could not be brushed away by Akhtar.
In the frenzy of elections, a number of leaders say a lot of objectionable things but only when a camera captures such speeches, it becomes an issue. Can the Congress be allowed to acquire a holier-than-thou attitude?
"In case the camera picks it up, and you do not make an example of it, it will embolden others to do the same thing. Irrespective of whichever party such a person comes from, he should be severely dealt with," said Tiwari.
"Once we have a Constitution in a country, it needs to be adhered to in letter and spirit," stated Tiwari, accusing BJP of dividing Indian society in the last 61 years.
Singh reminded about a 1989 poster of the Congress party that asked ‘Do you trust this person?’ which was communal but never earned the Congress' apology.
Javed Akhtar that the Congress marginalised the members who were tainted in the Sikh riots of 1984 and they withered away. Singh concluded by saying it was not true as Congress leaders like Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Kumar still contest elections.
Final SMS/Web Poll: Should Varun Gandhi be banned from contesting elections?
Yes: 76 per cent
No : 24 per cent
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