INDIA: Varun Gandhi a great-grandson of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru arrested over allegations he made inflammatory comments against Muslims

Record ID: 1376281

  • Title: INDIA: Varun Gandhi a great-grandson of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru arrested over allegations he made inflammatory comments against Muslims
  • Date: 30th March 2009
  • Summary: PILIBHIT, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (MARCH 28, 2009) (ANI) PEOPLE WITH FLAGS VARUN GANDHI ON A VEHICLE SURROUNDED BY SUPPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) VARUN GANDHI, CANDIDATE OF INDIA'S MAIN OPPOSITION BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY AND SCION OF INDIA'S GANDHI-NEHRU FAMILY, SAYING "I have full faith in the law and in the judiciary and all I want to say is that I believe in my princip
  • Embargoed: 14th April 2009 18:51
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  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVA7T11B2G01VJDRMV2HAX6S6QSL
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Police in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday (March 28) arrested Varun Gandhi, a great-grandson of the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and election candidate for the Hindu-nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), over allegations he made inflammatory comments against Muslims.
    A speech in early March by Gandhi has been widely played in the local media in which he allegedly threatens to cut off the hands of those who harm Hindus, and crudely compares a rival Muslim candidate to Osama Bin Laden.
    The 29-year-old Gandhi, who unlike most of his family chose not to join India's ruling Congress party, has said footage of his speech was doctored in a political conspiracy to tarnish his image.

    "I have full faith in the law and in the judiciary and all I want to say is that I believe in my principles, I am willing to fight for them," he told cheering supporters, before surrendering to the judicial authorities in his Pilibhit constituency.
    Police fired in the air and baton-charged a crowd of at least 10,000 of Gandhi's supporters shouting pro-Hindu slogans. More than 20 people, including five policemen, were reported injured.
    The arrest of Gandhi, a member of India's powerful Nehru-Gandhi dynasty could be an embarrassment for the BJP weeks before an election.
    India's election commission has demanded the BJP drop Gandhi as a candidate and said it will monitor his future campaign rallies. The BJP so far has stuck by its candidate.
    Last week Gandhi unsuccessfully petitioned a high court in Uttar Pradesh to quash police reports of the speech he made in his constituency.
    The investigating police officer in the case, Mani Ram Rao, said Gandhi will remain in judicial custody in Pilibhit jail until Monday (March 30), when his bail plea will be decided.
    The BJP has been accused in the past of stoking tensions to pander to its large Hindu vote base. Muslims make up around 13 percent of India's 1.1 billion-plus population.
    Many opinion polls show the BJP-led main opposition alliance trailing the Congress-led ruling coalition.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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