Bharatiya Janata Party leader Varun Gandhi has targeted the candidate fielded by the Opposition alliance in Sultanpur constituency of Uttar Pradesh, saying he gets such people to untie his shoelaces, Jansatta reported on Friday. A video of the parliamentarian’s comments has gone viral on social media.

Gandhi, the current MP from Sultanpur, has swapped seats with his mother and Union minister Maneka Gandhi this time. Maneka Gandhi represents Pilibhit in the Lok Sabha.

Varun Gandhi reportedly made the comments about the Bahujan Samaj Party’s Chandra Bhadra Singh, popularly known as Sonu Singh, at a public meeting on Thursday. Sonu Singh, a former MLA, and his brother Monu Singh are local strongmen, according to Navbharat Times.


“There is only one thing I want to tell you – be afraid of god and no one else,” Gandhi told the audience. “There is no one on earth who can harm you. People should be afraid of their sins and the crimes they commit, not some Monu or Tonu. I am standing here. I am Sanjay Gandhi’s son, I get such people to untie my shoelaces.”

According to ABP News, Varun Gandhi claimed that people in a village had told him that they were afraid of the BSP candidate and his brother and were reportedly receiving threats at night, and people were being beaten up.

Last month, the BJP leader’s mother Maneka Gandhi had been banned by the Election Commission from campaigning for 48 hours for her communal remarks in Sultanpur. She had appeared to have threatened the Muslim community there to vote for her or face the risk of not receiving her help as a lawmaker. A few days later she was warned for saying she would categorise villages according to the way they vote for her party.

Sultanpur will go to polls along with 13 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh in the sixth phase on May 12. Pilibhit voted on April 23.