Varun Gandhi's fresh critique makes it clear that he is in no mood to toe the party line. File
If there are vacancies and also eligible candidates, why is there no recruitment, BJP MP Varun Gandhi asked today as he targeted the party-led Uttar Pradesh government over a police crackdown on a candlelight march by job seekers in Lucknow.
The Pilibhit MP, who has been publicly expressing views that are at odds with the BJP's stand, shared a viral video in which policemen can be seen chasing and cane-charging protesters.
Mr Gandhi said these protesters too are Indians and no one is ready to even hear their grievances. He also appealed to the authorities, asking if they would have been able to act in the same manner if their children were part of these protests.
The protesters have been holding a sustained agitation over alleged irregularities in a 2019 exam to recruit 69,000 assistant teachers in the state. They were trying to march from an intersection in central Lucknow towards the residence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath when police cracked down.
The police action also drew sharp responses from opposition parties Samajwadi Party and the Congress.
The Akhilesh Yadav-led party condemned the "brutal lathicharge", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appealed to people to remember this when BJP asks for votes.
Meanwhile, Varun Gandhi's fresh critique makes it clear that he is in no mood to toe the party line.
Last month, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise announcement on the repeal of three contentious farm laws, the Pilibhit MP had shot off a letter to him, listing four big demands, including compensation for those who died during the farmers' year-long protest and withdrawal of cases registered against farmers.
He also criticised BJP leaders over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which protesting farmers were run over, allegedly by a vehicle driven by a Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra's son. Alleging that "provocative statements" by many senior leaders created an "adversarial atmosphere", he said the "heartbreaking incident is a blemish on our democracy" and demanded action against the Union Minister.