Varun Gandhi
Encyclopedia
Feroze Varun Gandhi is an India
n politician
and a Member of Parliament
(MP), a member of the 15th Lok Sabha
. He is the son of the late Sanjay Gandhi
and Maneka Gandhi
and belongs to the Gandhi-Nehru family. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party
National Executive and the youngest National Secretary in the history of the party. His mother, Maneka, is Indira Gandhi
's daughter-in-law and a Member of Parliament
from the Aonla constituency
.
on 13 March 1980 to Sanjay Gandhi
and Maneka Gandhi
, he is the grandson of the former Prime Minister of India
, Indira Gandhi
and the great-grandson of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru
. His father died in a plane crash when he was three months old. His grandmother was assassinated when Varun was four-years-old. Indira Gandhi is said to have been very fond of Varun and was greatly distressed when his mother left the household.
He attended Rishi Valley School
and completed his A levels from the British School, New Delhi
, where he was elected secretary of the student council. According to a press statement released by Sumantra Bose
, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at London School of Economics
, Varun completed his Bachelor of Science
in Economics
from the London School of Economics via the University of London External System in the year 2002. He also completed his Master of Science
in Public Policy
from the School of Oriental and African Studies
, University of London
, in 2004 also through correspondence. These claims were ratified by him through one of his recorded letters.
Varun is married to Yamini Roy, daughter of late diplomat Sunil Roy Chowdhury and film enthusiast Dr. Aruna Vasudev. The wedding took place on 6 March 2011 in a Hindu religious affair at the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt in Varanasi
.
in BBC
's HARDtalk
in October 2005, Gandhi answered questions about the reasons behind his political affiliation and defended his father as someone who had helped revive the industrialisation of India by starting Maruti Udyog
and whose strategy helped the Congress party's comeback after the first ever non-Congress Janata Dal
government following an electoral routing
for the Indira Gandhi-government after Emergency, among many other things.
In the 2009 general elections
, the BJP decided to field Varun Gandhi as its candidate from the Pilibhit constituency
instead of his mother Menaka Gandhi. He won the seat by receiving 419,539 votes and defeated his nearest contending candidate, V.M. Singh, by a margin of 281,501 votes. The victory was the strongest of any of the four Gandhi family candidates in the election: his mother Maneka Gandhi
, aunt Sonia Gandhi
and first cousin Rahul Gandhi
. The
security deposits of all other candidates, including those of V.M. Singh of the Indian National Congress
and the Bahujan Samaj Party
candidate Ganga Charan Rajput were forfeited.
Some of his recent election speeches have been termed as an attempt to instigate hatred among communities and have, debatably, embarrassed his own party. On 6 March 2011 he got married to Yamini Rai Choudhuri at Varanaasi.
) "If any anti-social person lifts a hand against Hindus
, or thinks they are weak, there is nobody behind them, then I swear on the Bhagavad Gita
that I will cut off that hand."
The Election Commission of India
directed the Chief Electoral Officer, Uttar Pradesh
to file a case under Indian Penal Code
and Representation of the People Act against Varun Gandhi and issued a notice to him for violation of Model Code of Conduct. The Election Commission had served Varun Gandhi a Show Cause notice asking him to reply by 11 am on 20 March 2009.
However, Sikh
s in Pilibhit alleged that a political conspiracy was in place and that he had never said the supposed controversial words.
While defending his speech, Varun Gandhi said "I am a Gandhi, a Hindu and an Indian in the equal measure."
On 22 March 2009, the Election Commission of India asked the BJP not to nominate Varun as a candidate for the 2009 General Elections. The Election Commission informed the BJP, since the party disowned the comments made, if party nominated him as a candidate then whatever he mentioned in the 'Hate Speech' would be treated as the party's policies. However, the BJP said that it was not in the domain of the Election Commission to dictate to political parties which candidates to field and which not to. The BJP also raised questions on the non-partiality of the controversial Election Commissioner Navin Chawla
and his alleged proximity to the Congress party.
BJP president Rajnath Singh
said that the recording had been doctored and that the BJP will not accept the commission's advice.
On 29 March, Varun Gandhi surrendered before a local court in Pilibhit after his anticipatory bail expired and he was subsequently sent to judicial custody by the Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister
Mayawati
's government. He was granted a two week parole on 16 April and filed his nomination as a candidate in Pilibhit on 22 April.
On 8 May, the State Advisory Board of the Allahabad High Court
recommended the revocation of the National Security Act (NSA) slapped on Varun Gandhi. It cited lack of sufficient grounds to press forward the case under the law against him. However, the state government of Uttar Pradesh
refused to budge and appealed the Supreme Court's decision.
On 14 May 2009, the Supreme Court of India
was not satisfied by the UP government's request for the continuation of the NSA charge against Varun Gandhi and asked the state government to rescind the NSA charge; to which the state government then complied. The Supreme Court revoked the restrictions imposed by the Uttar Pradesh state government surrounding his arrest and parole.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP), a member of the 15th Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
. He is the son of the late Sanjay Gandhi
Sanjay Gandhi
Sanjay Gandhi was an Indian politician. The younger son of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi, he was a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family...
and Maneka Gandhi
Maneka Gandhi
Maneka Gandhi is an Indian politician, animal rights activist, environmentalist, former model and widow of the Indian politician, Sanjay Gandhi. She has been a minister in four governments, and has authored a number of books in the areas of etymology, law and animal welfare...
and belongs to the Gandhi-Nehru family. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
National Executive and the youngest National Secretary in the history of the party. His mother, Maneka, is Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
's daughter-in-law and a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
from the Aonla constituency
Aonla (Lok Sabha constituency)
Aonla Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh state in northern India.-Assembly segments:Presently, Aonla Lok Sabha constituency comprises five Vidhan Sabha segments...
.
Formative years and education
Varun Gandhi was born in DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
on 13 March 1980 to Sanjay Gandhi
Sanjay Gandhi
Sanjay Gandhi was an Indian politician. The younger son of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi, he was a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family...
and Maneka Gandhi
Maneka Gandhi
Maneka Gandhi is an Indian politician, animal rights activist, environmentalist, former model and widow of the Indian politician, Sanjay Gandhi. She has been a minister in four governments, and has authored a number of books in the areas of etymology, law and animal welfare...
, he is the grandson of the former Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
, Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
and the great-grandson of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
. His father died in a plane crash when he was three months old. His grandmother was assassinated when Varun was four-years-old. Indira Gandhi is said to have been very fond of Varun and was greatly distressed when his mother left the household.
He attended Rishi Valley School
Rishi Valley School
Rishi Valley School is a boarding school in India, founded by the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. It is located close to the town of Madanapalle, Krishnamurti's birthplace, in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Rishi Valley is a three hour drive from the city of Bangalore.- Founder's...
and completed his A levels from the British School, New Delhi
The British School, New Delhi
The British School in New Delhi, India is an independent, English Medium co-educational international school which offers an educational programme from kindergarten through to Grade 13.-History:...
, where he was elected secretary of the student council. According to a press statement released by Sumantra Bose
Sumantra Bose
Sumantra Bose is Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics. He specialises in the study of ethnic and national conflicts and their management, with a particular focus on the Indian subcontinent and the former Yugoslavia...
, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, Varun completed his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from the London School of Economics via the University of London External System in the year 2002. He also completed his Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in Public Policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
from the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, in 2004 also through correspondence. These claims were ratified by him through one of his recorded letters.
Varun is married to Yamini Roy, daughter of late diplomat Sunil Roy Chowdhury and film enthusiast Dr. Aruna Vasudev. The wedding took place on 6 March 2011 in a Hindu religious affair at the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt in Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
.
Career
The nature of his profession and ideological affiliations, coupled with the inexperience of his age, have invited criticisms about him and his ways. In an interview to Stephen SackurStephen Sackur
Stephen John Sackur is a BBC journalist who presents HARDtalk, a current affairs interview programme on BBC World News and BBC News 24. He is also the main Friday presenter of GMT on BBC World News...
in BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's HARDtalk
HARDtalk
Hardtalk is a flagship BBC television programme, consisting of in-depth half-hour one-on-one interviews.It is broadcast four days a week on BBC World News and the BBC News channel. Launched in 1997, much of its worldwide fame is due to its global reach via BBC World...
in October 2005, Gandhi answered questions about the reasons behind his political affiliation and defended his father as someone who had helped revive the industrialisation of India by starting Maruti Udyog
Maruti Udyog
Maruti Suzuki India Limited is a subsidiary company of Japanese automobile and motorcycle manufacturer Suzuki. The company offers a complete range of cars from entry level Maruti 800 and Alto, to hatchback Ritz, A-Star, Swift, Wagon-R, Estillo and sedans DZire, SX4, in the 'C' segment Maruti Eeco ...
and whose strategy helped the Congress party's comeback after the first ever non-Congress Janata Dal
Janata Dal
Janata Dal is an Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Congress, and the Jan Morcha led by V. P...
government following an electoral routing
Indian general election, 1977
India held general elections to the 6th Lok Sabha. This sixth general elections, which were conducted for 542 seats from 542 constituencies, represented 27 Indian states and union territories. These 542 constituencies were remain same till Indian general elections, 2004 for the 14th Lok Sabha.The...
for the Indira Gandhi-government after Emergency, among many other things.
In the 2009 general elections
Indian general election, 2009
India held general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009. With an electorate of 714 million , it was the largest democratic election in the world to date.By constitutional requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be...
, the BJP decided to field Varun Gandhi as its candidate from the Pilibhit constituency
Pilibhit (Lok Sabha constituency)
Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh state in northern India.-History:In the first parliamentary election, the Praja Socialist Party won this seat thrice. Later, in the following elections, Indian National Congress and its participatory...
instead of his mother Menaka Gandhi. He won the seat by receiving 419,539 votes and defeated his nearest contending candidate, V.M. Singh, by a margin of 281,501 votes. The victory was the strongest of any of the four Gandhi family candidates in the election: his mother Maneka Gandhi
Maneka Gandhi
Maneka Gandhi is an Indian politician, animal rights activist, environmentalist, former model and widow of the Indian politician, Sanjay Gandhi. She has been a minister in four governments, and has authored a number of books in the areas of etymology, law and animal welfare...
, aunt Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi is an Italian-born Indian politician and the President of the Indian National Congress, one of the major political parties of India. She is the widow of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi...
and first cousin Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi is an Indian politician and member of the parliament of India, representing the Amethi constituency. His political party is the Indian National Congress.-Early life and career:...
. The
security deposits of all other candidates, including those of V.M. Singh of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and the Bahujan Samaj Party
Bahujan Samaj Party
The Bahujan Samaj Party is a centrist national political party in India with socialist leanings. It was formed to chiefly represent Bahujans , referring to people from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes as well as Buddhists. The party claims to be inspired by the...
candidate Ganga Charan Rajput were forfeited.
Some of his recent election speeches have been termed as an attempt to instigate hatred among communities and have, debatably, embarrassed his own party. On 6 March 2011 he got married to Yamini Rai Choudhuri at Varanaasi.
Jan Lokpal and Anti-Corruption Crusade
In August 2011, Varun Gandhi strongly pitched for the Jan Lokpal Bill. Gandhi offered his official residence to Hazare to hold his fast, after Hazare was denied permission by the government. When Hazare was jailed, Gandhi offered to table the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament. On August 24, he went to Ramlila Maidan as a common man to support the cause of Anna Hazare, becoming the first politician to openly support the anti-corruption cause.Controversies
At a meeting in Dalchand locality on 6 March 2009, he is alleged to have said (translated from HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
) "If any anti-social person lifts a hand against Hindus
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, or thinks they are weak, there is nobody behind them, then I swear on the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
that I will cut off that hand."
The Election Commission of India
Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India is an autonomous, quasi-judiciary constitutional body of India. Its mission is to conduct free and fair elections in India...
directed the Chief Electoral Officer, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
to file a case under Indian Penal Code
Indian Penal Code
Indian Penal Code is the main criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code, intended to cover all substantive aspects of criminal law. It was drafted in 1860 and came into force in colonial India during the British Raj in 1862...
and Representation of the People Act against Varun Gandhi and issued a notice to him for violation of Model Code of Conduct. The Election Commission had served Varun Gandhi a Show Cause notice asking him to reply by 11 am on 20 March 2009.
However, Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s in Pilibhit alleged that a political conspiracy was in place and that he had never said the supposed controversial words.
While defending his speech, Varun Gandhi said "I am a Gandhi, a Hindu and an Indian in the equal measure."
On 22 March 2009, the Election Commission of India asked the BJP not to nominate Varun as a candidate for the 2009 General Elections. The Election Commission informed the BJP, since the party disowned the comments made, if party nominated him as a candidate then whatever he mentioned in the 'Hate Speech' would be treated as the party's policies. However, the BJP said that it was not in the domain of the Election Commission to dictate to political parties which candidates to field and which not to. The BJP also raised questions on the non-partiality of the controversial Election Commissioner Navin Chawla
Navin Chawla
Naveen , a controversial Indian bureaucrat , is a retired chief election commissioner of India. As Chief Election Commissioner, Navin Chawla oversaw the last 4 phases of Indian general election to Loksabha in April–May 2009...
and his alleged proximity to the Congress party.
BJP president Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh is a prominent Indian politician and who has served the country in many capacities. He was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a Cabinet Minister in the NDA regime and became the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the single largest Opposition party in India...
said that the recording had been doctored and that the BJP will not accept the commission's advice.
On 29 March, Varun Gandhi surrendered before a local court in Pilibhit after his anticipatory bail expired and he was subsequently sent to judicial custody by the Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
Mayawati
Mayawati
Mayawati is the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, India. She heads the Bahujan Samaj Party, which represents the Bahujans or Dalits, the weakest strata of Indian society. This is her fourth term as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh...
's government. He was granted a two week parole on 16 April and filed his nomination as a candidate in Pilibhit on 22 April.
On 8 May, the State Advisory Board of the Allahabad High Court
Allahabad High Court
The Allahabad High Court or the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad is a high court having jurisdiction over the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh since 1950...
recommended the revocation of the National Security Act (NSA) slapped on Varun Gandhi. It cited lack of sufficient grounds to press forward the case under the law against him. However, the state government of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
refused to budge and appealed the Supreme Court's decision.
On 14 May 2009, the Supreme Court of India
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
was not satisfied by the UP government's request for the continuation of the NSA charge against Varun Gandhi and asked the state government to rescind the NSA charge; to which the state government then complied. The Supreme Court revoked the restrictions imposed by the Uttar Pradesh state government surrounding his arrest and parole.