'Don't intimidate farmers': Varun Gandhi uses A.B. Vajpayee's 'wise words'

BJP MP Varun Gandhi is continuing to take a stance on the farmers' protest issue that is being interpreted as divergent from that of the saffron party.

This has been particularly evident since the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, which left eight people, including four farmers, dead. The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh was accused of being slow to arrest Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra, who allegedly mowed down protesting farmers.

Varun had repeatedly tweeted demanding action against the perpetrators of the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri.

On Thursday, Varun Gandhi tweeted a video of a speech by BJP icon and late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Varun captioned the video, "Wise words from a big-hearted leader…"

In the speech, Vajpayee warned the then government against "intimidating" farmers, adding the agriculturalists "can't be scared".

The statements by Vajpayee were made in a historic speech by him at a rally in Mumbai in 1980, shortly after he was elected first president of the BJP.

In the speech, Vajpayee referred to the plight of cotton and jute farmers in states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Vajpayee declared the BJP would support the farmers in their struggle.

Clips of the references to the plight of farmers from the Vajpayee speech have been shared on social media regularly since the farmers' protests began late last year.

Last year, on the anniversary of Vajpayee's death, Varun tweeted he was "inspired and mentored" by the late leader and had "entered public life to take forward his directions that young people must serve the nation in whatever way they best can".

Varun entered politics in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, which the BJP contested under Vajpayee's leadership.