Khaga, Uttar Pradesh: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Pilibhit candidate Varun Gandhi on Sunday said he did not want to be known by his Gandhi name but for his work.
Addressing his first political rally after his release on parole, Varun Gandhi said: "People ask me how it feels to be from the Gandhi family, but I swear that I don't want to be known by my name but for my work."
Targeting the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh, he urged voters to go beyond caste-based politics, saying: "This is an important time for Uttar Pradesh as it is a test for voters to decide if they will go beyond their caste bonds or instead embrace national patriotic values."
Varun Gandhi, who was campaigning for BJP candidate Radhey Shyam Gupta in Fatehpur district, shared anecdotes from his days in Etah jail, charging up the roaring crowd further.
"I was kept in isolation in jail," he said, adding that a peepal tree was his "companion".
"One of the reasons I am here in Fatehpur is because when I was in jail, a jail attendant - I think his name was Suresh Kumar, told me to come here to campaign. When I asked why, he told me that he doesn't have faith in parties but he believes in people," Varun Gandhi shared.
"This is not Varun's fight alone - this is a fight to make our country strong, for a national vision focusing on farmers and the poor," he added.
Varun Gandhi was jailed and charged under the stringent National Security Act for his reported hate speeches targeting Muslims. He was released on April 16 on a two-week parole after spending nearly 20 days in jail.
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