BJP MP Varun Gandhi has just released his 2nd poetry book ‘Stillness’. He talks about his writing and political beliefs in an interview with Liz Mathew.
Do you think you have inherited the legacy of Pandit Nehru?
I don’t think that one person can really inherit a literary tradition from somebody, but it can be a reservoir from which one can draw inspiration and strength. Panditji was of course a giant, but so were a lot of people in that generation. If you read the constituent assembly debates, its almost as if it’s a generation of giants. So I don’t know if I have inherited any literary traditions.
Talking about today’s India, tell me what you think about cultural nationalism?
I think that our culture itself is such a melting pot and so syncretic that there is no national culture as such. It doesn’t need to be. However, the religious and cultural ethos even of a particular community, need to be respected. I don’t believe in majoritarianism and I don’t believe in minoritarianism.
What about the new words entered into political lexicon like ghar wapasi and haraamzada?
Nearly five years ago I realized a lot of what we speak, even while speaking in a constituency, is adversarial in nature. I myself made a concerted attempt to neither name any person in any speech nor name any party. I will take my agenda to the people and tell them what I can give them and the salient points in my mind for their development. I think, positive politics is the need of the hour today. So therefore the usage of words like haraamzada takes away what is the moot point of the debate on the country’s progress and good governance. Why is it that we still have these delicate religious faultiness when actually religion should not be part of our political debate at all.
We are seeing a very different dimension of both you and cousin Rahul Gandhi. You have been very political while Rahul was seen as a reluctant politician. But now we see a literary side of you, while Rahul is showing aggression in his political side.
I wrote my first book 14 years ago. I took a break because I wanted to go deep within myself. As time goes on I become more and more quiet inside. I think I am gentler and softer human being and more reclusive.
Indian Express
