It's Gandhi vs Gandhi

Priyanka & Varun

It is being viewed as Gandhi versus Gandhi battle in India's key state of Uttar Pradesh.
A war of words today erupted between Priyanka Gandhi and her cousin Varun Gandhi as they trade barbs and attacks during campaigning for Indian national elections.
Varun Gandhi, son of Sanjay and Maneka Gandhi, yesterday hit back at his cousin Priyanka Gandhi, suggesting she crossed the "line of decency" with her remarks that he has gone "astray" and said his "decency and large-heartedness" should not be construed as a weakness by anyone.
In a statement, Varun, the 34-year-old BJP lawmaker contesting the election from Sultanpur, said: "In the past decade, whether it has been a member of my family or a senior leader of any political party, I have never crossed the Lakshman Rekha of decency in my speeches.”
Priyanka, 42, had last week attacked Varun in her speech in Amethi, parliamentary constituency of Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh, and suggested he should be defeated and shown the right path.
"He is definitely from my family, he is my brother. But he has gone astray. When a young one in the family chooses the wrong path, then the elders show them the right path, the right way. I urge all of you to show my brother the right path," she had said.
Her remarks had invited immediate response from Maneka Gandhi who had said, "If he has gone astray while serving the country, the country will decide."
Varun, who filed his nomination papers from here as a BJP candidate, said, "We should debate unemployment, corruption, poverty and illiteracy instead of making personal attacks.
"Let us try to raise the level of discourse rather than lowering it. When we practise politics centered on personal criticism, we deviate from the crucial issues of our time. If India has to move towards politics of hope, we will have to raise the level of debate," he said.
Priyanka yesterday responded by saying that parliamentary elections is "an ideological war" and that Varun's actions amounted to "betrayal" of the family.
"This is not a family tea party. It is an ideological war.  I believe anybody, no matter how close they are, own blood relations...if they are going to be on that side of the ideological divide", she said.
"He had expressed his views in the last elections and I do not agree with them at all. I strongly disagree with them.  It is a betrayal of my family. My father died for the unity of this country. I cannot disregard it for anybody even if it is my own child," Priyanka told reporters in Amethi where she was campaigning for her brother Rahul.
She was apparently referring to the controversy Varun had created in the last elections in 2009 when he addressed an election rally in Pilibhit constituency in Uttar Pradesh which was widely denounced as a hate speech.