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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 000559 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL PINR KDEM IN
SUBJECT: BHARAT BALLOT 2009: THE "OTHER" GANDHI FACES HATE 
SPEECH CHARGES 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY:  Varun Gandhi, until now the lesser-known 
grandson of Indira Gandhi and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 
Lok Sabha aspirant, burst onto the national scene when an 
election campaign video caught him delivering anti-Muslim 
remarks.  The video footage, played in a continuous loop on 
Indian news channels over the weekend, shows Varun 
denigrating Muslims while addressing an election rally in his 
parliamentary constituency in northern Uttar Pradesh.  The 
Election Commission, which is overseeing the April-May 
general election, filed a notice against Varun on March 18 
for violating the Election Model Code of Conduct and advised 
the BJP not to run Gandhi as a candidate.  The BJP has 
refused to withdraw Varun's candidacy, arguing that the 
Commission had over-stepped its mandate.  Varun's virulent 
statements will likely damage the BJP's standing among 
secular and minority voters nationwide.  However, political 
observers agree that the speech will help to consolidate the 
Hindu vote bank in Uttar Pradesh ahead of April-May 
parliamentary elections.  End Summary. 
 
Caught on Tape: Gandhi Scion Delivers Hate Speech 
--- 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Uttar Pradesh state authorities on March 18 filed 
criminal charges against 29-year old Varun Gandhi, the late 
Sanjay Gandhi's son, after video footage emerged of him 
delivering anti-Muslim remarks at a political rally earlier 
in March.  In tapes aired by local media last week, Varun 
encouraged his audience to "Go to your villages and give the 
call that all Hindus must unite to save this area from 
becoming Pakistan."  Varun is shown vowing to cut off the 
hands and chop the necks of Muslims who threaten Hindus. 
"After the election (this hand) will cut the necks of 
Muslims.  Hail Lord Ram," he exclaimed with palms raised 
toward the crowd.  Officials in Uttar Pradesh filed a 
criminal case against Varun for "promoting hatred."  If 
convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of five years in 
prison.  Varun has instantly become a rising star within the 
Hindu nationalist BJP and is the party candidate from 
Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh.  His mother, Maneka Gandhi, held the 
seat for four terms and was Cabinet Minister of Environmental 
Affairs in the BJP-led coalition in 1999-2004. 
 
EC Censors, BJP Firmly Behind Varun 
--- 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  India's Election Commission (EC) on March 22 ruled 
that Varun's remarks were in violation of the Election Model 
Code of Conduct.  In a ten-page ruling, the EC stated that 
Varun's speech promoted "hatred and ill-will" toward the 
Indian Muslim community.  The commission further advised the 
BJP to withdraw Varun's Lok Sabha candidacy, adding that the 
party would be perceived as "endorsing" a communal agenda. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The BJP, however, rejected the EC action, saying 
Varun was its candidate for the Philibhit constituency and 
accusing the EC of overstepping its mandate in advising the 
party on candidate selection.  BJP spokesman Balbir Punja 
slammed the EC decision as an "unprecedented" attempt to 
"redefine the contours of democratic practices."  BJP General 
Secretary Arun Jaitley noted that under the law the EC can 
only bar a candidate from contesting elections only if he or 
she has been convicted and sentenced for more than three 
years. 
 
Varun: Videa Was Doctored 
--- 
 
¶5.  (U)  Last week, Varun denied any wrong doing as his 
virulent speech crowded media airwaves nationwide.  Though 
Varun does not deny making controversial remarks, he insisted 
the videos had been "doctored" and that he was the "victim" 
of a political conspiracy.  "This is not my voice, those are 
not my words.  I've a soft voice, (but in the video) I sound 
like (Bollywood star) Amitabh Bachchan."  In response to the 
 
NEW DELHI 00000559  002 OF 003 
 
 
EC censure, he accused the Commission of political bias. 
Varun pointed out that he was denied his "natural democratic 
right" to meet the Commission in-person before the judgment 
ruling was announced. 
 
Congress, CPM, JDU Outcry Against Varun 
--- 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  The BJP's refusal to withdraw Varun's candidacy 
has drawn criticism from several political parties.  All 
Indian Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Digvijay 
Singh advised that all BJP coalition partners should think 
twice about their alliance with a party that is "endorsing 
the use" of abusive language against minorities.  The 
Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) said that it was 
proof that the BJP continues to support the "communal venom" 
of Varun's remarks.  "It shows that the party is not in the 
least concerned about the Constitution, the democratic norms 
and political decency," observed CPI-M member Brinda Karat. 
The Janata Dal United party (JDU) chief Sharad Yadav, a BJP 
ally in Bihar, has been particularly vocal in criticizing the 
BJP.  He said the EC was "within its jurisdiction" in 
indicting Varun and urged authorities to expedite criminal 
proceedings. 
 
BJP Floundered Before Finding a Voice 
--- 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  The BJP appears to have been blindsided initially 
by Varun's remarks.  A day after the hate speech videos 
surfaced, party leaders attempted to play down its political 
significance.  "We have not heard him say anything like 
this," said former BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu.  However, 
with every news and cable network playing the hate speech on 
continuous loop, the BJP could not afford to keep silent on 
the issue.  On March 17, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad 
told press that the BJP "completely disagrees, dissociates 
and disapproves" with the contents of Varun's speech.  It was 
only after a March 23 meeting that the BJP came out fully 
behind Varun, signaling that the BJP sees a net negative if 
they jettison Varun.  Several contacts surveyed by Poloff 
agreed that the speech will ultimately brighten the BJP's 
electoral prospects in at least six constituencies in Uttar 
Pradesh.  They expect more communal tension in the state 
closer to the poll dates.  According to contacts, by 
endorsing Varun, the BJP has formally injected Hindutva into 
the campaign. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Some observers saw more sinister machinations at 
work in the controversy.  Zaheer Mustafa, editor of the In 
Dinon, an Urdu language daily, told us the Varun controversy 
is a "well thought out RSS conspiracy."  He noted vote banks 
within Uttar Pradesh are divided along religious lines and 
that ratcheting up Hindutva rhetoric would help consolidate 
the Hindu support.  Moreover, the RSS-BJP have been planning 
to project Varun as the youth face of the Sangh Parivar to 
match the stature of his cousin Rahul Gandhi, an emerging 
Congress Party leader. 
 
Family Feud in the UP 
--- 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, has 
emerged as the battleground state in upcoming elections with 
its 80 Lok Sabha seats up for grabs.  All four politically 
active Nehru-Gandhi members are contesting elections from the 
state.  Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul, are the Congress 
Party candidates from Rae Bareli and Amethi districts. 
Meanwhile, Varun and his mother, Maneka, will contest from 
Pilibhit and Aonla districts as BJP Lok Sabha candidates. 
Varun's anti-Muslim remarks were particularly jarring for 
many because they come from a member of a family that has 
built its political reputation on the notion of a secular 
society and tolerance for religious minorities.  Sonia and 
Rahul have not commented on Varun's alleged remarks. 
 
NEW DELHI 00000559  003 OF 003 
 
 
Priyanka Gandhi, Sonia's usually reserved daughter, 
criticized her cousin during an elections rally in her 
mother's constituency on March 23.  She stated that Varun's 
speech went against the "principles of the Gandhi family and 
what the members of this family lived and died for." 
Priyanka also recommended that her cousin "properly" read the 
Gita, an ancient Hindu text, to understand its message. 
 
Comment:  Hindutva: Tried and True BJP Elections Strategy 
--- 
 
¶10.  (SBU)  In the run-up to hotly contest April-May general 
elections, Varun Gandhi's anti-Muslim tirade should not come 
as a complete surprise.  Social tensions generally tend to 
rise before Indian elections because many parties, the 
Congress and BJP included, believe they benefit at the polls 
when the electorate is polarized over certain issues.  For 
the BJP and the Sangh Parivar this means ramping up Hindutva 
themes during elections season in an effort to consolidate 
the Hindu vote bank, particularly in states such as Uttar 
Pradesh and Gujarat where the Muslim population is sizeable. 
The media attention that the speech has garnered has helped 
to establish Varun's Hindutva credentials and ensure a bright 
future in the BJP.  Like Narendra Modi, he will be deployed 
by the BJP to campaign in other constituencies and states. 
Varun Gandhi has emerged as a formidable opposition force to 
the youth wave in the Congress Party, led by his cousin Rahul 
Gandhi.  End Comment. 
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