The newest member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has launched himself into Indian politics with a communally-charged controversy

On the face of it Varun Gandhi has impeccable political credentials.

His grandmother was Indian premier Indira Gandhi; his great grandfather India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

But following in the footsteps of his mother, Maneka Gandhi, Varun has forsaken the family legacy, eschewed the Indian National Congress (INC) party and pitched himself in with the opposition - the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

At 29 Gandhi's relative youth is an advantage in an election where the prime ministerial contenders are aged 76 and 81. In an ageing BJP he could influence the youth vote much like his first cousin and possible political heir to INC leadership, Rahul Gandhi, who is 38.

However, Varun's campaign tactics have not only distanced him from his family's secular ideals, allegations of recent anti-Muslim comments have earned him a jail term under the National Security Act.

And although, the Election Commission (the regulatory body that oversees the Indian election process) has found the political scion guilty as charged, the BJP has refused to withdraw his candidature in this year's general elections. Gandhi has also gone on to claim that the footage of him delivering his hate speech at Pilibhit has been doctored.

The Pilibhit incident is neither the first time nor will it be the last where religious sentiments of citizens are exploited to garner votes in a bid to gain charge of the world's largest democracy.

Veteran Indian journalist Debasis Bhattacharya, who covered the communally sensitive demolition of the Babri Masjid (Mosque) in 1992, said: “In India, not even 30 per cent of the electorate is politically conscious. Thus, religion is the most important issue to play up during elections to win votes.”

The barrage of hoardings, banners, advertisements and rallies are only typical of election-time. Post-election, all the flurry fades away with parties slinking away from the scene and at times even from their campaign promises. Political parties hardly have any pro-active post poll agenda to boost their images.

In the wake of Varun Gandhi's pro-Hindu words, another BJP candidate is getting flak for his anti-Christian speeches in Orissa. Among those who have rallied in Gandhi's support, endorsing his brand of fundamentalist politics is Sri Ram Sena chief, Pramod Muthalik, the man behind the brutal attack on women in a pub in the Indian city of Mangalore, and Hindu hard-liners like the Shiv Sena.

Senior assistant editor of the Economic and Political Weekly, Aniket Alam pointed out: “In fact, there were a fair number of comments in the papers which suggested that Varun had emulated Narendra Modi’s style and substance to win his maiden election.” Modi is the chief minister of Gujarat who will always be associated with the communal riots that claimed more than 1000 lives in 2002.

The apparent saffronisation of Indian politics is a cause for concern, keeping in mind India's long history of communal violence. Member of the legislative assembly for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from West Bengal, Kumkum Chakraborti said: “It is dangerous that in a secular country like India such comments are being made to target specific communities. Use of such propaganda is a political pollution of religious sentiments and our party vehemently condemns it.”

Given the Indian electorate's love affair with the Nehru-Gandhi family, Varun Gandhi is viewed as the BJP's gimmick to counter the popularity of Congress's youth icon Rahul Gandhi. Now free to file his election nominations, India will be on a 'wait and watch' mode to see if such an evocative surname is able to lure in the voters.

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