CD tampered,claims Varun,but admits: ‘rousing speech’

Speaking to The Indian Express,Varun said: “If you ask me,I would say yes,it was a rousing speech,a strong speech. May be I should not have been so aggressive; may be,I should not have used the words which I did. However,certain expressions attributed to me have been distorted from what I spoke and one of the two CDs containing my speech has been doctored.”

“What people should realize is that I was speaking at a village where four girls had been raped. When I spoke,I wanted to instil confidence among victims,I wanted to offer hope to the hopeless. I don’t care about a warrant (for arrest) but what bothers me is that I should not be hurting anyone and,believe me,my intent was not to hurt anybody,” Varun said.

“You must appreciate the fact that in my area,there has been persecution of Hindus in a particular belt. There have been 11 cases of rape in the last one year. People have been thrashed and threatened. There has been communal tension in this belt for one year. While I don’t want to cement it (tension),I cannot wish it away either.”

“My mother (Menaka Gandhi) has been elected to Lok Sabha from Pilibhit in seven consecutive elections,but the constituency has never witnessed a communal riot,not even in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement phase. But during the last one year,things have been different. Many of our people,including former minister Ram Saran Verma,have been arrested under the National Security Act,” he said.

“What I referred to was ‘galat tatva’ (wrong elements) and not any community in one of the lines that has been described as inflammatory. How does it have any communal overtone? The second CD in circulation is doctored,” Varun said.

In a press release issued later,he said: “In the instance,where I have taken oath in the name of the Gita (which is standard court procedure),I have sworn to protect Hindus against any ‘galat tatva’ or bad elements. This was said in the context of two young Hindu girls having been recently raped in a village. The object of the speech was to instil confidence in a badly-scarred and shaken community. I never mentioned a word against or said anything derogatory against any community.”

“Coming from a family that has been part of India’s history for the last century,I am well aware of my responsibility to the nation and would never jeopardize its strength and unity… I reiterate my family’s unwavering commitment to the ideals of secularism. I stand by my family legacy,our history of service and sacrifice for the nation… In the event that any feelings have been inadvertently hurt as a result of this controversy,I deeply and sincerely apologise to any that may have taken offence where none was meant.”