Varun Gandhi pens note for people of Pilibhit after BJP denies him LS poll ticket
Lucknow (PTI): Denied a ticket from Pilibhit Lok Sabha seat, BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Thursday wrote an emotional letter to the people of his constituency in which he asserted that his relationship with them will remain intact till his last breath.
Sharing the letter on X, he said, his relationship with Pilibhit is one of love and trust which is far above any political calculations.
The BJP has fielded Uttar Pradesh Public Works Minister Jitin Prasada from Pilibhit replacing Gandhi, who has been vocal against his own government several times on the issue of inflation and unemployment.
Prasada had filed his nominations on this seat on Wednesday.
Recounting his association with the constituency, he said "Today, when I am writing this letter, countless memories have made me emotional. I remember that little three-year-old child who came to Pilibhit for the first time in 1983 holding the fingers of his mother. Little did he know that one day this land would become his work place and the people here would become his family".
"The ideals given by Pilibhit were instrumental in my upbringing and development not only as an MP but also as a person. Being your representative has been the greatest honour of my life and I have always raised my voice for your interests to the best of my ability," he said.
Varun Gandhi said his tenure as an MP may be coming to an end, but his relationship with Pilibhit can't end till his last breath.
"If not as an MP, then at least as a son, I am committed to serve you throughout my life and my doors will always remain open for you as before. I came into politics to raise the voice of the common man and today I seek your blessings to continue doing this work always. Even if I have to pay any cost for this," he added.
This is for the first time in over three decades that the mother-son duo of Maneka and Varun Gandhi will not be in the fray from the Pilibhit constituency which is located in the Terai belt bordering Nepal.
The denial of ticket to Varun Gandhi this time did not come as a surprise as he has been criticising the BJP on the issues of farmers, health and jobs.
After he was replaced by Prasada, reports did the rounds that Varun Gandhi might contest from the seat as an independent candidate. The suspense ended on Wednesday when he did not turn up before the nominations ended.
His mother Maneka Gandhi, the sitting MP from Sultanpur, was, however, given another chance from the same seat by the BJP.
The Pilibhit seat has remained with Maneka Gandhi or her son Varun Gandhi since 1996.
Maneka Gandhi won the seat on a Janata Dal ticket in 1989, lost in 1991 and won again in 1996. She won from the constituency in 1998 and 1999 as an Independent candidate. She won the seat in 2004 and 2014 as a BJP candidate.
Varun Gandhi won the seat in 2009 and 2019 as a BJP candidate.
प्रणाम पीलीभीत 🙏 pic.twitter.com/D6T3uDUU6o
— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) March 28, 2024
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Congress wants to give minorities right to eat beef: UP CM Adityanath
Moradabad/Lucknow (UP) (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Friday said the Congress wants to give minorities the right to eat beef, adding that this amounted to allowing cow slaughter.
"These shameless people promise to provide the right to eat 'gaumaans' (cow’s meat), whereas our scriptures call the cow mother. They wish to give cows into the hands of butchers. Will India ever accept this?” An Uttar Pradesh BJP statement quoted Adityanath as saying.
The chief minister said they wanted to give minorities the liberty to eat the food of their choice, “meaning they are talking about allowing cow slaughter”.
Adityanath was addressing an election rally in Bilari in Moradabad district to garner support for BJP candidate Parmeshwar Lal Saini for the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat.
Echoing the recent speeches by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the CM alleged the Congress intends to seize the 'stridhan' (women’s wealth), and distribute it among Rohingyas and Bangladeshi infiltrators.
He claimed the Congress in its manifesto has talked about the X-ray of people's property.
"This means that if somebody has four rooms in his home, two of those will be taken away by them. Not only this, the Congress says that it will take possession of women's jewellery, the country will never accept this," he said.
They had made such efforts from 2004 to 2014 under the UPA government, Adityanath said.
"They had tried to give a quota to Muslims out of the reservation provided to the SCs, STs and OBCs in Karnataka," he said.
He referred to the Sachar Committee recommendations, and said the Congress wanted to implement it by giving six per cent reservation to them out of the quota for the SCs, STs and OBCs.
Accusing the Congress of double standards, he claimed that former prime minister Manmohan Singh had said that Muslims have the first right to the country's resources.
The UP chief minister also alleged the Congress is hatching a conspiracy for further division of the country.
Adityanath said it is being said that "bhai-bahan" (referring to Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) are planning to go to Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram.
"When they had a government, they used to question the existence of Lord Ram. But the deity is for everybody. This is an example of their double standards," he said.
Adityanath said those who hesitate in chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram' should not get their votes.
Sambhal will vote in the third phase on May 7.
