In fact, Gandhi's mother Maneka appeared to be his lone defender at the meet, the first after the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha elections for a second successive time.

In the meeting, Maneka had contended that the Muslims were not the core constituency of the BJP and therefore those party leaders who had blamed her son Varun's alleged hate speeches for the party's poll debacle were wrong.

She had said there were other reasons like late distribution of tickets in Uttar Pradesh and the failure of the election-in-charge in doing his job.

Sushil Kumar Modi toed the line taken by Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar on wooing the minority community.

While Gandhi was present on the first day of the meeting on Saturday, he kept away from the proceedings on Sunday.

Varun Gandhi's anti-Muslim hate speeches had triggered a controversy during the elections but the young leader had been insisting that the CDs of his speeches were doctored.

But, Pilibhit District Magistrate Ajay Chauhan confirmed findings of the FSL report yesterday that said the voice in the CD was that of Varun. "Though I have not seen the report yet, but I have been told that the FSL had said that the voice contained in the tape is that of Varun Gandhi.