It is 'comedy of errors' by Varun Gandhi: Congress's Amita Singh

Sultanpur: Varun Gandhi contesting from BJP and describing this seat as his late father Sanjay Gandhi's ‘karambhoomi' is seen as “comedy of errors” by his opponent Congress' Amita Singh, who asserts that while bringing in these emotions, he forgets that his father was a Congressman. “If Varun Gandhi is telling people that he has come to his father's karambhoomi, let the young man know that this is not his father's karambhoomi... His father's karambhoomi is Amethi,” Singh told PTI in an interview. “While bringing in these emotions, why does he forget that his father was a Congressman? He is talking contradictory. He is on a BJP ticket talking to people about his father and also he left a seat he won by over 3 lakh votes...I think it's a comedy of errors...,” she told PTI. “How can you speak both sides? Here you are not ready to take the name of Modi and BJP but you are praising Rahul Gandhi. Where do you stand?,” she asked. As campaigning for the May 7 polls gears up, old relationships rupture and Amita, known as ‘Raani Sahiba' here, is facing questions why she is fighting against Varun as her husband Sanjay Singh, called the ‘Raja Sahab' of Sultanpur, once had been a close friend and associate of Varun's father. Amita is fighting her first Parliamentary election from Sultanpur after her husband, also the sitting MP, was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member from Assam a few months ago. Asked why she is contesting against someone who she called her “nephew”, Amita said, “He will remain a nephew. The point is that he has come to our turf. Why does he want to leave his seat Pilibhit, which he has won by a margin of more than 3 lakh and which his mother had won six times in the past?”She also claims Varun is on the side of Godse ideology while she is with Gandhi ideology.While Congress had won from this seat seven times from 1951-1984, BJP had won thrice between 1991 and 1998. Sanjay Singh claimed that Varun seeking votes in the name of his father and family, will in fact be helping Congress. “People of Sultanpur are asking that if Varun Gandhi wants to realise the dream of Sanjay Gandhi and Indira Gandhi, then why should they vote Congress via BJP? Why not directly vote for Congress? This is hugely helping us,” he said. Though the couple claim that Congress is winning the seat, Varun has managed to create quite a buzz in the constituency where the Nehru-Gandhi family association still evokes an awe. He began his campaigning here even before his name was formally announced by BJP. Rahul Gandhi had held a roadshow here last Saturday. Amita is not sure if other members of Sonia Gandhi's family will be involved in a full-fledged campaign against Varun here.“Certain things are family related. If they think it is appropriate, they will come. If not, they won't come. But when the BJP candidate himself is singing paeans of our leader Rahul Gandhi, what is the problem?” Amita said. Exuding confidence, she said, “I am a sports person and begin with a never-say-die attitude. I do not look at things in terms of wave or atmosphere. My confidence lies in my own work.”BSP, which had won the seat in 1999 and 2004 and was runner-up in 2009 Lok Sabha polls, has fielded Pawan Pandey, a known Brahmin leader of Sultanpur while SP has nominated Shakeel Ahmed.Sanjay Singh, who had been a close associate of Sanjay Gandhi, justifies the fight against Varun this time. “I feel we are not fighting against Gandhi family but a BJP candidate, whose party is fighting against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Hence, the party is more important than family. Varun is a BJP candidate and BJP's message is that it wants to make India Congress-free and I believe that the candidate of that party will also have a similar thinking that he, too, has a role in realising the dream of BJP,” he said. The Parliamentary Constituency of Sultanpur is one of the 80 Lok Sabha seats of Uttar Pradesh and consists of over 14 lakh electorates.