'Cong's PM candidate a ghost not seen nor heard' Tuesday, April 13 2004 15:56 Hrs (IST)
New Delhi:
In a clear snipe at his aunt and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) star campaigner Varun Gandhi today (Apr 13, 2004) said he favoured a legislation to bar persons of foreign origin from holding high public offices and asserted that family relations should be kept away from politics.
Varun, who recently joined the party along with his mother Maneka, criticised the Congress, saying the party was not sure about its Prime Ministerial candidate and "probably it is a ghost who has not been seen nor his or her name heard".
"I am fully supportive of any legislation barring persons of foreign origin from holding top posts," he said while inaugurating election office of the party's candidate from Delhi Sadar Vijay Geol.
"Yeh chunav apno aur beganon ke beech hai (this electoral battle is between our own and strangers)," he said addressing his first election meeting in Delhi, and added, "I hope people will choose our own."
Varun said he did not want family relations be mixed with politics.
"Family has its own place while politics has its own place," he said insisting that he had no clash with his aunt Sonia Gandhi and cousins Rahul and Priyanka.
Claiming that only BJP gave poll tickets on merit, he said he had "heard" that other parties auctioned tickets to the highest bidders.