26 March,2009 10:45 AM IST | | Amit Kumar
After his inflammatory speech at Pilibhit, Varun Gandhi has become the BJP's star campaigner. The Gandhi scion, till now loitering at the edge of the political ring, has suddenly been thrust into its centre
For years Varun Gandhi has been the underdog of Indian politics' First Family. A black sheep, he never had a grand entry into the political arena like his cousin Rahul Gandhi, considered by many to be the king-in-waiting. But the graduate from London School of Economics, roped in by the Bharatiya Janata Party to rile the Gandhis, has turned his fortunes around.
The controversial hate speech he delivered at Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, has catapulted Gandhi into the top league. He has made a surprise entry into the BJP's star campaigner list, sharing space with 30 other stalwarts, including Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the party's prime ministerial candidate LK Advani.
Sources in the BJP confirmed that Gandhi did not figure in the first list of important campaigners. However, post his anti-Muslim remarks, his name has been included in the coveted list and his popularity graph is almost matching Modi's.
Allegedly, BJP workers and party leaders from other states have been lobbying for either Modi or Gandhi to address poll meetings. "State members have been demanding that if Modi is not able to campaign in their region, then the fiery young Gandhi should replace him," said a party leader in Delhi, wishing anonymity.
"Varun Gandhi has emerged as one of the most popular young leaders of the BJP because of the controversy created by pseudo-secularist forces and media houses. But we are not bothered by the negative campaign of groups with vested interests. Varun can break the Congress monopoly on the Gandhi surname. Gandhi is identified first by Mahatma Gandhi and these nakli (fake) Gandhis should be exposed," said Amitabh Sinha, the BJP's campaign incharge.
Allegedly, Gandhi is in great demand in Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Assam. The BJP is planning to let his campaign trail cover the entire country. "We are trying to utilise his time in the most optimum way. Since Varun is also contesting the parliamentary elections for the first time, he is required to focus on his constituency. We are very seriously examining his requirement as well as the demands being made other candidates," added Sinha.
The BJP has chalked out a detailed meeting schedule for its star campaigners, with Modi and LK Advani scheduled to address the maximum number of public meetings. "Modi and Advani's itineraries were ready about 45 days ago. They will address about 150 public meetings with an average of four to five rallies everyday. The BJP will launch its campaign on April 27 from four placesu00a0Gandhinagar, Jammu, Jharkhand and Karnataka," said a senior party leader, wishing anonymity.
Other than Modi and Advani, though the BJP has stalwarts like Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, their influence is restricted.
While Jaitley is considered more of an urban leader capable of persuading opinion-makers, Swaraj, a powerful orator, is restricted by her personal poll campaign. She has also chosen to address meetings only in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
