Tensions in the Nehru-Gandhi family again burst out in the open on Sunday when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Maneka Gandhi, hit at niece Priyanka over the latter's reported remarks that Maneka's son, Varun, had gone "astray".
"Whether he has gone astray while serving the country, the country will decide," Maneka said when asked for her reaction about Priyanka's comment.
On Saturday, Priyanka and her mother, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, had accompanied Rahul Gandhi to Amethi, as he filed his nomination, seeking a third term from the Lok Sabha constituency.
While campaigning for Rahul in Amethi, Priyanka had said though Varun, the BJP's candidate from Sultanpur, adjoining Amethi, was her brother, people in Sultanpur should not vote for him.
"He (Varun) is definitely from my family. He is my brother. But he has gone astray. When young ones in the family choose the wrong path, the elders show them the right path, the right way. I urge all of you to show my brother the right path," Priyanka had said.
This is not the first time these tensions have been in full public view. Earlier, Varun Gandhi had spoken approvingly about Rahul Gandhi and his mother had contradicted him sharply. Sonia Gandhi has been completely quiet on Varun, opting to say nothing, either on his candidature or about his politics.
