I am proud of my faith, says Varun Gandhi

July 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Undeterred by charges filed by the Uttar Pradesh police against him for the alleged hate speeches he made in Pilibhit during the Lok Sabha poll campaign, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Varun Gandhi Wednesday said he "shall be vindicated". "I welcome the case being taken forward as now I shall have the opportunity to establish my innocence," said Gandhi in a statement here.

May 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - BJP leaders Varun Gandhi and Maneka Gandhi arrived here to meet Lal Krishna Advani at his residence on Sunday morning, following reports of the latter's wish to step down from party's parliamentary board. On Saturday, Varun Gandhi won from the Pilibhit Constituency and his mother Maneka Gandhi registered victory from Aonla Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

May 6th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Wednesday said Varun Gandhi had 'no moral right to use Gandhi as his surname' because of his 'violent behaviour'. 'A person with violent behaviour can never be a Gandhi,' Mayawati said referring to Mahatama Gandhi 'who was the greatest exponent of the doctrine of ahimsa (non-violence)'.

April 26th, 2009 KHAGA - Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) newest poster boy and Pilibhit candidate Varun Gandhi Sunday said he did not want to be known by his Gandhi name but for his work. Addressing his first political rally after his release on parole, Varun Gandhi said: 'People ask me how it feels to be from the Gandhi family, but I swear that I don't want to be known by my name but for my work.' Targeting the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh, he urged voters to go beyond caste-based politics, saying: 'This is an important time for Uttar Pradesh as it is a test for voters to decide if they will go beyond their caste bonds or instead embrace national patriotic values.' Varun Gandhi, who was campaigning for BJP candidate Radhey Shyam Gupta in Fatehpur district, shared anecdotes from his days in Etah jail, charging up the roaring crowd further.

April 22nd, 2009 PILIBHIT - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Varun Gandhi, who spent about 20 days in prison for his reported hate speeches, Wednesday said he was not afraid of going to jail again. Varun Gandhi, who is in Pilibhit to file his nomination papers, said this while addressing a gathering in the city's Nawabganj locality where he stopped to inaugurate a newly constructed BJP office.

April 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh Thursday night welcomed the release on parole of the party's Pilibhit candidate Varun Gandhi and said the young leader would 'certainly' campaign for the party. Varun Gandhi, who was released from Etah Jail in Uttar Pradesh in the evening, reached the national capital after 10 p.m.

April 16th, 2009 ETAH - Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Varun Gandhi Thursday walked out of Etah jail after 20 days of being behind bars for his allegedly inflammatory campaign speeches. Varun walked out at around 6.30 p.m.

March 25th, 2009 MUMBAI - Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the Pilibhit constituency Varun Gandhi, who has been accused of making inflammatory anti-Muslim remarks, has thanked Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray for supporting him for his speech. "I am overwhelmed by his support.

March 25th, 2009 PUDUCHERRY - Stating that he doesn't 'carry hate and anger', Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said Wednesday that he was 'surprised' by his cousin Varun Gandhi's reported inflammatory campaign speeches. 'I am surprised by his views.

March 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Sunday said that if he were the country's home minister, Varun Gandhi would have been jailed for his speeches in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit constituency. 'Had I been the home minister, I would have put Varun Gandhi behind the bars,' Lalu Prasad told reporters here.

March 20th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Neck-deep in controversies already, Varun Gandhi is now faced with yet another charge - of distributing money in his constituency. Taking cognizance of a TV footage showing Varun Gandhi distributing money in the Pilibhit constituency, the Election Commission Thursday issued a notice to him.

March 20th, 2009 KOLKATA - Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami Thursday said it is for Varun Gandhi to prove that the tape, which allegedly show him delivering inflammatory speeches, was 'doctored'.

March 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Slamming Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi for his alleged communal speech and his unapologetic stand, union minister Kapil Sibal Wednesday said there was no place for people like him in politics and he should be arrested. The BJP candidate from Pilibhit constituency in Uttar Pradesh, who is facing a criminal case for his alleged hate-Muslim campaign speech, should be arrested, said Sibal.

March 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - An unrepentant Varun Gandhi asserted Wednesday that he was a 'Gandhi, a Hindu and an Indian' in equal measure and said the CD showing him making an inflammatory speech was doctored. 'I am proud of my faith, and am not apologising for it,' Varun Gandhi told reporters while reading out a written statement, a day after being slapped with a criminal case for his alleged hate-Muslim campaign speeches.

March 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday said it has dissociated itself from the statements attributed to its Pilibhit candidate Varun Gandhi. 'The BJP disapproves and dissociates itself from the statements attributed to Mr Varun Gandhi,' party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told a news conference here.