'Check facts first', Maneka advises son Varun over Rahul remark

Two days after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Varun Gandhi praised the work done by Congress vice president and his cousin Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, the former's mother, Maneka, today advised her son to check facts before making any statement.

"What Varun Gandhi has said is wrong. He should not speak before verifying facts," Maneka told media here.

"I have myself gone to Amethi and there is no development there. Nobody should comment on something unless you see it with your own eyes. Some people might have told him that good work has been done in Amethi," she said.

Varun, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Sultanpur constituency on Wednesday, distanced himself from his comments where he had apparently praised Rahul Gandhi for the work done in Amethi.

Varun tweeted by clarifying "My comment, last night, in a meeting with teachers and NGOs, in response to being asked whether I knew about initiatives in Amethi, was that although I had not seen the work done via self help groups in Amethi, I had heard it was fairly decent, and that I would stress it should 'NOT' be seen as an endorsement of any political party or candidate."

Rahul, who is running for Parliament from Amethi for the third time in a row, has said he was happy that people from other parties like Varun Gandhi of the BJP had appreciated the work which he had done for his constituency.

"I am very happy that other people are appreciating the work which has been done in Amethi where we are working continuously in a strategic manner, where, we have created a foundation for an education hub, a food park and to connect the farmers with the outside world," he said.

"Our focus has been to develop Amethi in agriculture, women empowerment and education," he added.