Not Aware Of Speculation About Varun Joining Congress: Rahul

Bhubaneswar: Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is on a day visit to Odisha, on Friday said that he was unaware of any speculation about BJP leader Varun Gandhi coming on board ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

““I have not heard this speculation,” he said responding to a query about Varun Gandhi joining Congress in a move to reunite the Gandhi-Nehru family.

With Priyanka Gandhi taking the political plunge, speculation was rife about the possible entry of her cousin, Varun, into the Congress.

According to sources, Priyanka has been tasked to convince Varun to join the grand old party, in what is being seen as a move to bury the hatchet between the families of Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi and reunite the Gandhi-Nehru parivar.

Rahul and his sister Priyanka are said to share a good rapport with Varun, notwithstanding the not-so-good relationship between their mothers, Sonia and Maneka.

If Varun, who is said to be unhappy with the BJP, indeed joins the Hand party, of which his father Sanjay was a very powerful leader during the Emergency and its aftermath years in the 1970s, he would be given an important task, possibly in-charge of central Uttar Pradesh, the sources added.

On Wednesday, Priyanka was made in-charge of Eastern UP. She will look after 30 Lok Sabha constituencies that fall in the UP East region, including Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, and Gorakhpur, represented by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Jyotiraditya Scindia, meanwhile, was made in-charge of Uttar Pradesh West with immediate effect.

Sources said while Varun might join the Congress, Maneka is still reluctant. If the Sultanpur MP joins hands with her cousins, his mother might contest the forthcoming elections as an independent. She had won the Lok Sabha polls from Pilibhit in 2014 and is currently holding the post of Union minister of Women and Child Development in the NDA government at the Centre.

This move is viewed in political circles as a masterstroke that Rahul has planned to strengthen the Congress in UP, especially after the SP-BSP announced an alliance.

It might also help bring back party old-timers and help revive the party in other parts of the country and enable Rahul and Co to strongly take on the BJP, which in recent years have made deep inroads in states where hitherto they didn’t have much presence.

The saffron party is in power in nine states, while Cong is in office in five states.

(With agency input)