By IANS,
New Delhi : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh Friday asserted his party would not “sit silently” over the issue of Varun Gandhi, its Pilibhit candidate, lodged in jail for his hate speeches.
“As far as Varun Gandhi’s issue is concerned, let me tell you we are not going to sit silently, ” he told reporters here. He added: “I am meeting Varun Gandhi in Etah (jail) on the 6th.”
Asked if the party would launch an agitation, Singh said: “We will let you know. You will know everything tomorrow.”
Varun Gandhi landed in trouble early March for his inflammatory remarks against Muslims allegedly made during his campaign in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh.
On the recommendation of the Election Commission, criminal cases were lodged against him while later the Uttar Pradesh administration booked him under the National Security Act (NSA). He has challenged invocation of this law, which does not provide for a bail, in the Supreme Court.
While the BJP strongly criticised the Election Commission for advising it not to field Varun Gandhi because of his alleged attempts to foment communal strife as well as for the imposition of NSA on him, the party had sought to dissociate itself from his utterances.
Simultaneously, its leaders have also maintained that there is no evidence that Gandhi made the remarks since he has claimed the CD of his statements were doctored, a claim few are ready to accept.