This is disgusting and vile – Varun Gandhi, son of the late Sanjay Gandhi and grandson of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, went on a wild rant against muslims while campaigning in a rural area:

Raising his hands, he repeatedly said that this not the Congress’ symbol of hand but is the BJP’s arm that will behead these K&t*%*
(extremely derogatory word which is a highly offensive slang to
describe the community). It was both sad and shocking, coming from a
28-year-old politician.

[Yeh itne ghinaune shabd hain ki ham
aapko sunaa bhi nahiN sakte: The anchor had to say that some words and
remarks were so disgusting that they couldn’t be aired. Though the
channel inserted a sound at that partiular word, still it could be
understood]

Amid chants of Jai Shri Ram, the young face of BJP
and the scion of Nehru-Gandhi delivered not just a speech of extreme
vitriol but threatened to kill and cut heads and hands. He didn’t even
spare the Congress either.

Varun has delivered a number of speeches in various meetings. In one
meeting he says that the Muslims have names that appear scary. They
also look dangerous. If one comes across them at night, he may get
frightened.

Then Varun takes the pledge of Gita and says that he would cut all such hands and taken on them solely.

Coverage of the incident from Thaindian News mentions that the local BJP party members – no strangers to anti-muslim incitement – were taken aback and are scrambling to distance themselves/deny the event outright:

What has come as a shocker is his staunchly pro-Hindu and rabid
anti-Muslim vitriolic that his opponents and supporters say could
trigger a communal clash.

From taking up issues like the ban on cow slaughter to asking a Sikh
leader to leave a Hindu meeting, Varun Gandhi has been ruffling
feathers everywhere.

Though just one offensive remark captured by a TV channel drew the
attention of the local authorities, the scion of the estranged Gandhi
family has been busy making such statements all over Pilibhit.

On March 6, he said at the Dalchand meeting: … “If somebody lifts a hand against Hindus, or thinks they are
weak, there is nobody behind them, then I swear on the (Bhagvad) Gita
that I will cut off that hand.”

It has left even leaders who are working for his victory flabbergasted.

Naresh Verma, a popular BJP leader in Puranpur – within the
constituency – told IANS: “I am a BJP activist and a Hindu too. But I
am not in favour of launching a communally charged campaign. If Varun
Gandhi persists with such style of campaigning, I would be compelled to
keep myself away from it.”

Added another BJP veteran Gurdial Singh: “Varun is going out of
hand. If he is not restrained, this election could end in a bloody
communal clash.”

The 70-year-old Sikh froom Ramnagar village was even asked to leave one of the Hindu meets being addressed by Varun Gandhi.

The worst thing that the muslim community in the region could do would be to react and take the bait for these provocations. The other parties are making complaints to the Indian Election Commission; however the best way to reign in Varun would be for his own party to condemn him unequivically. Thus far, that doesn’t seem likely to happen.

UPDATE: Varun denies it, blaming a “political conspiracy”. Maybe he is assuming that his target audience doesn’t watch television?

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