Shikarpur, Uttar Pradesh

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi has blamed Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, for the spiralling prices of essential commodities.

The Pilibhit MP, who is looked upon as the future face of the party, said that these leaders knew about inflation more than he did, while addressing a public meeting in Shikarpur in Bulandshahr.

"Skyrocketing prices is the handiwork of a team - one part of the team is sitting in Delhi, and the other is ruling from Lucknow," he said, adding, "Though both point a finger at each other, they are deliberately turning a blind eye to the reality, so that horders and middlemen can have a free hand to fill up their coffers."

The MP also said that the party should focus on the Ganga, safety of cows and care of temples.

"We should not forget what our party was formed for. We should not compromise on our self-respect," he said. "If we don't fight for our self-respect, the Ganga, Gau mata, our temples and the youth, then everything else will fall apart," he added.

Gandhi has constructed around 200 temples in his parliamentary constituency of Pilibhit with his own money. "While I was coming here, I saw many minars on the way, and I don't have a problem with that. What I feel bad about is the poor condition of our temples today. They are the signs of our faith and we should do everything to take care of them," he said.

As slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" raged on, he said, "I will ensure that no cow slaughter takes place here. If you hear of any such case, you can call me any time and I will be there. We will get our hands cut off, but won't let any cow get slaughtered".

The young leader also said that the country wants strong leadership today. "People want a completely new kind of politics. They don't want leaders to sit in their bungalows and not visit their constituency. Unlike others, even after I won the elections, I regularly keep visiting my constituency," he said.

He also spoke about issues of land acquisition and the plight of farmers.