New Delhi: Walking upon her own legacy set in this ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2019, Malegaon blast accused and BJP contestant Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur uttered controversy yet again.
BJP Bhopal candidate Pragya Thakur started another controversy when she declared that Mahatma Gandhi assassin Nathuram Godse was a “deshbhakt (patriot)” on Thursday. Her comments on Godse immediately set off a political storm with Congress claiming BJP had fostered a culture of violence and was denigrating freedom struggle icons.
Pragya has been in the midst of controversies ever since BJP nominated her against Congress Digvijay Singh. She called Mumbai cop and 26/11 martyr Hemant Karkare a traitor and claiming to have “cursed” him a month before he was shot dead by terrorists. She then said she was “very proud” of her role in the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992.
However this time BJP itself condemned the statement given by her and asked Pragya to apologise and it was late evening when she did so, saying that “the party line is my line”.
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Digvijaya Singh, who is also campaigning in the region, said Thakur statement was “deshdroh” (treason). “Nathuram Godse was Mahatma Gandhi assassin. Pragya Thakur statement is treachery,” he said in Unhel town of Ujjain. “This kind of patriotism has become the identity of BJP. Glorification of Nathuram Godse is sedition. BJP leaders are glorifying Godse. This is the kind of sedition that can only be perpetrated by BJP.”
Priyanka Gandhi also came into the war of words and tweeted, “Bapu assassin a patriot? Hey Ram! Distancing yourself from our candidate is not enough. Nationalistic luminaries of BJP have the guts to spell out your stand.”
As per BJP state spokesperson Hitesh Vajpayee, “Sadhvi Pragya statement cannot be justified. She has apologised for her remark but Congress should also ask Digvijay Singh to apologise for showing his love for Zakir Naik and terrorist Azhar Masood.”