By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) endorsement of its candidate Varun Gandhi despite his reported hate comments against Muslims is shameful, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday.
“The BJP wants to divide the country on communal lines. Worst has been the shameful endorsement of the line of young Varun Gandhi (BJP candidate from Pilibhit). Candidates with such mindset cannot carry India forward,” he said at the release of the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.
Manmohan Singh was referring to Varun Gandhi’s allegedly volatile election speeches in his constituency in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh.
The Election Commission found the utterances “highly derogatory” and asked the BJP not to field him. The BJP shot back saying the election watchdog could not make such a recommendation and declared that Gandhi would be its candidate.