It was about a year ago when I went to meet Varun Gandhi at his Jor Bagh residence in Delhi. As he took me out later, I saw several black cats around. They came running to him as the neighbour, ‘Pandit ji’ also reached the spot. The neighbor asked Varun not to feed the black cats because in some beliefs the black billy is considered inauspicious. Varun replied, “Pandit ji, many of us have black cats and yet the universe takes care of us… we need to widen the circle of kindness…”
Questioning tradition and social norms is perhaps a quality that Feroze Varun Gandhi instilled in his mother Maneka Gandhi And grandmother Indira Gandhi too.
His days at the British School in Delhi cut short when he through a resolution ensured that vegetarian food is served in the canteen as he does not eat meat. Or in 2000, when he contested as an independent candidate at the University of London and won by a very small margin.
Those who know Varuna also know that he has a tendency to be independent and to assume power. This starts to make sense in the present context, where over the past few months, he has taken a non-aligned stand along the party line. Whether it is his position on the issue of Minimum Support Price (MSP) along with the now repealed agriculture laws, or unemployment that sometimes equates to that of his cousins Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi, the tussle between Varun and the BJP Now the restlessness is shining. It is clear because though he is one of the party’s young faces and MP from Pilibhit, Varun and his mother have not found a place in the BJP’s list of star campaigners for the February-March Uttar Pradesh elections.
Sources say that the Bharatiya Janata Party is not comfortable with his articles, which take on his own government and, therefore, feels safe to keep him away. More importantly, people close to him say that he is not used to the ‘ji huzoori’ (yaar man) style and is often harsh in his interactions with top leaders. “After all, he is a Gandhi and therefore that quality of arrogance cannot be missed,” says a BJP leader.
But Varun Gandhi is very different from his cousins. Academically inclined, he loves to pen. In fact, he once told me that his most cherished treasure is a pen gifted to him by his ‘grandmother’ Indira Gandhi, he loves to write poems and books, and has an impressive lineup.
But what is Varun doing so far? People close to him say that the shrewd but independent politician, Varun is waiting for his time after recovering from the battle of Covid. His reckoning is that by taking up the issues of the people, he can be seen as a champion of their rights and even though this may not always be in sync with his party lines, he will be seen as someone who works for his cause. stood up.
Now it is very clear that BJP would not like to give him a ticket for the next Lok Sabha elections. Neither Maneka nor Varun was given a place in all the cabinet reshuffles. But sources close to Varun say that he is not in talks with any other party right now. He is spending his time and a lot will depend on the UP election results. A lot will depend on the position of Trinamool Congress and Congress also.
The fact is, multiple parties, especially those having a single-level control structure, may disagree or not accept a different, independent point of view. Even Varun’s biggest critics admit that he would be an asset given his knowledge and eloquence. The thing is, will that be enough?
Varun once told me an anecdote that as a young child he fed several birds at his then home in Maharani Bagh. He wondered whether even the birds knew that he would take care of them religiously. Once a stray dog attacked Varuna, and the birds pounced on the mulberry tree and chased the little dog. Varuna managed to escape, and from then on he learned the lesson that when you take care of helpless beings, the universe comes to take care of you. A lesson perhaps he still hopes to work for her.
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