LUCKNOW - Asserting that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was firmly behind Varun Gandhi, party general secretary Arun Jaitley Saturday said Uttar Pradesh’s ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) would ‘pay a heavy price’ if the ‘vindictive’ charges against the young leader were not dropped.

‘The steps taken by (Chief Minister) Mayawati against Varun Gandhi are disproportionate and vindictive. Varun has been falsely implicated,’ Jaitley told reporters.

The Uttar Pradesh government last Saturday slapped charges under the National Security Act (NSA) against Varun Gandhi for ‘inciting violence’ in the state’s Pilibhit district before going to jail for his reported hate speeches against Muslims.

If Mayawati does not withdraw NSA against Varun Gandhi, Jaitley said, ‘the BSP will have to pay a heavy price for it’.

Backing party leader and Varun’s mother Maneka Gandhi’s remarks against Mayawati, Jaitley said: ‘The fight between Maneka and Mayawati is not personal, it’s political.’

‘As NSA against Varun is unconstitutional, our party and leaders stand by Maneka Gandhi and will extend full support to her,’ Jaitley said.

Mayawati and Maneka Gandhi have been involved in a war of words after Varun Gandhi’s arrest. Maneka had said only a mother could understand her feelings after she was denied a meeting with Varun Gandhi, who is in Etah jail in Uttar Pradesh.

Mayawati tore into Maneka Gandhi for the remarks and said she should have brought up her son better.

Jaitley accused the Congress of using the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to forge alliances with political parties.

‘When Congress wants the support of the BSP, the CBI adopts a liberal attitude towards tainted BSP leaders. Likewise, the investigation agency becomes liberal towards Samajwadi Party leaders when Congress needs its support,’ he maintained.

About the future of the new alliance between Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan, Jaitley said: ‘ Earlier, the Congress used them to run the government and now the three would use the Congress to fulfill their political ambitions.’

Jaitley accused the media of misquoting party leader Sushma Swaraj on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) not getting a majority in the Lok Sabha elections. He insisted Sushma Swaraj had never said so.

‘What she (Sushma) had said was that the NDA will get a majority, and if we fall short of some seats, we will rely on non-Congress parties,’ said Jaitley.