By IANS,
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Wednesday said Varun Gandhi had “no moral right to use Gandhi as his surname” because of his “violent behaviour”.
“A person with violent behaviour can never be a Gandhi,” Mayawati said referring to Mahatama Gandhi “who was the greatest exponent of the doctrine of ahimsa (non-violence)”.
“So, Varun has no moral right to use Gandhi as his surname,” the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief said at an election rally in Pilibhit, from where Varun is contesting the Lok Sabha election as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate.
Hitting out at Varun who recently said he did not want to be known by his Gandhi surname but for his work, Mayawati said, “To prove that he is a Gandhi by work, he should have to leave the path of violence he has adopted.”
Calling Varun a “nautankibaaz” (theatrical), Mayawati said the BJP leader was trying to hoodwink the people by talking about promoting and strengthening nationalism.
“For getting a better understanding of what nationalism is all about, Varun must understand the constitution of our country� he should not hate a particular community and show respect towards other. He must believe in equality.”
Attacking Varun’s mother and former union minister Maneka Gandhi, the BSP chief said: “Both mother and son have always looked down upon the poor and the downtrodden, particularly Dalits.”
Pilibhit, some 250 km from Lucknow, votes in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections May 13.