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Regular-article-logo Sunday, 01 June 2025

ARUN NEHRU HEADING FOR BJP 

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FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Published 09.08.99, 12:00 AM
New Delhi, Aug. 9 :     Arun Nehru, a minister in Rajiv Gandhi?s government and his cousin, is likely to join the BJP and contest the September elections from either Rae Bareli or Bilhaur, near Kanpur. Reliable BJP sources said today Arun Nehru is likely to be inducted into the party by L.K. Advani later this week. After Maneka Gandhi, Arun Nehru becomes the second close relative of the Nehru-Gandhis to join hands with the BJP. But claiming Arun Nehru may not amount to a political coup for the BJP as, like in Maneka?s case, it is well known that he has long been a persona non grata with the first family of the Congress party. Arun Nehru, who has contested and won elections from both Rae Bareli and Bilhaur, was brought into politics by Rajiv Gandhi but the cousins fell out a couple of years after Rajiv Gandhi came to power in 1984. When V.P. Singh broke up with Rajiv Gandhi over the Bofors deal, Nehru too walked out of the Congress to join Jan Morcha. He later fell out with V.P. Singh and went into self-imposed political exile. BJP sources said in netting Arun Nehru they were looking not so much to divide the Nehru-Gandhi legacy as for a man with known expertise as a political manager. ?Despite all the controversies surrounding him, Arun Nehru was known to be a very able minister. He has a management background and has had experience in running key ministries. He will be given an important job in government if he wins the elections,? a BJP leader said.    
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