Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi has sparked a controversy after skipping a dinner meeting organised by Uttar Pratesh party chief Keshav Maurya. Sources close to Varun Gandhi say he skipped the dinner as his wife was unwell. Maurya had invited all BJP MPs for dinner on Monday.
Nonetheless, the reason did not go down well with the party leadership, which is already unhappy with Gandhi’s blatant attempt to project himself as the probable chief ministerial candidate during BJP’s two-day National Executive conclave.
This came soon after the news that Varun Gandhi had left Allahabad at around 2.30 pm, without waiting for a dinner meeting with BJP president Amit Shah. People close to Varun tried to downplay the event, stating that this was just a dinner meeting and they had already made reservations for Delhi. However, Varun’s absence has not gone down well with the party.
Amidst reports that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh could be named as the chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh, hundreds of posters of Varun Gandhi were put in Allahabad to make sure that his candidacy is not missed, if the party is looking for a face to be projected in Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections early next year. The posters also had images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.
However, the move irked the party’s leadership so much that show cause notice were issued to two party workers, who allegedly were found to be involved in the goof-up.
Allahabad MP Shyama Charan Gupta told Shah during the dinner meeting that Varun Gandhi is getting his posters plastered all over the city and when he protested, the Sultanpur MP’s supporters threw eggs and tomatoes at his house.
Gandhi, meanwhile, on Sunday got the support of Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Patna Sahib MP Shatrughan Sinha in his bid to become the party’s face for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections.
“Varun Gandhi is known among the people as a fighter who strives hard for the party. He has the acceptability of the people of Uttar Pradesh and he is a leader with wisdom,” Sinha said.
