Mahatma’s grandson Rajmohan Gandhi joins AAP; likely to take on Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, has joined the Aam Aadmi Party, fuelling speculation that he could contest against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The 78-year-old academic, who also counts India’s last Governor-General and statesman C Rajagopalachari as his maternal grandfather, did not rule out the possibility of contesting against Narendra Modi, saying on Friday that he would consult his party over such a matter.

A senior leader said AAP was in favour of pitting Gandhi against Modi even as the party had first approached another grandson of Gandhi and former governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, for this purpose.

“If Modi fights Lok Sabha elections, then AAP would like Rajmohan Gandhi to contest against him,” said the leader, who did not wish to be identified. AAP has not heard back from Gopalkrishna Gandhi since the party approached him. Rajmohan has had a brush with electoral politics when he contested and lost Lok Sabha polls in 1989 from Amethi against ex-PM Rajiv Gandhi.

“This is a people’s party. I was drawn to it because I felt there was something genuinely new and fresh about it,” Gandhi said. “The Congress used to be an aam aadmi party, now it is the khas aadmi party. BJP is the rich man’s party.” An acclaimed author, Gandhi has taught at a number of Indian and American universities.