'My door is always open': Varun Gandhi in emotional letter to Pilibhit voters after BJP Lok Sabha snub

Sitting MP from Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit Varun Gandhi on Thursday penned a poignant letter to the people in his constituency. Gandhi's letter comes days after he was dropped from the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) list of Lok Sabha candidates for the upcoming general polls. 

In its fifth list of candidates for Lok Sabha polls, the BJP fielded UP minister and former Congressman Jitin Prasada from Pilibhit instead of Varun Gandhi. Gandhi reportedly told his close aides that he felt cheated by the decision. 

In this letter, Gandhi referred to himself as Pilibhit ka beta (son of Pilibhit) and asserted his "family-like bond" with the constituency located near the Nepal border. He added that his relationship with the people of Pilibhit is beyond politics and that he is ready to pay any price to serve the people. 

"I came into politics to raise the voice of the common man and today I seek your blessings to always continue doing this work, no matter what the cost. The relationship between me and Pilibhit is one of love and trust, which is far above any political merit," Varun Gandhi said. 

In this letter, he talked about his first visit to the Lok Sabha constituency as a three-year-old kid back in 1983.

"Today, as I am writing this letter, countless memories have made me emotional. I remember that 3-year-old little boy who came to Pilibhit for the first time in 1983 holding his mother's finger, how did he know that one day this land would become his workplace and the people here would become his family," the letter read. 

He further said that he championed the causes of Pilibhit to the best of his ability. He also noted that his doors are always open for the people of the constituency. 

"Even though my tenure as an MP is coming to an end, my relationship with Pilibhit cannot end till my last breath. If not as an MP, then as a son, I am committed to serving you throughout my life and my doors will always remain open for you as before," he said. 

Meanwhile, the Congress party has made an offer to him. Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Varun Gandhi is "most welcome" to join the grand old party. Calling Gandhi a "tall leader", Chowdhury said that his image is all about transparency and he also has relations with the Gandhi family. 

"He (Varun Gandhi) should join Congress. We will be happy if he joins. He is a tall leader, and a well-educated politician. His image exudes transparency, and he has relations with the Gandhi family. This is the reason why the BJP did not give him a ticket. We want Varun Gandhi to join Congress now," Chowdhury said. 

Varun Gandhi fell out of favour with the saffron party's top leadership after his criticism of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and his policies on multiple occasions.