New Delhi: BJP President Amit Shah on Friday gave ten days to Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and Karnataka MPs Anant Kumar Hegde and Nalin Katil to explain their controversial statements on Mahatma Gandhi. In other words, Pragya’s nomination stands and the so-called ‘disciplinary’ action has been deferred until results are out.
The explanation was sought even as the PM Modi said in an interview to a channel: “The comments on Gandhi and Godse are deplorable, disgusting and are not a language fit for civilised society. Those who say such things should think 100 times. It is a different issue that they have apologized, but I will not be able to forgive them from my heart.”
On Thursday, Pragya Thakur had said: “Nathuram Godse was a deshbhakt (patriot), is a ‘deshbhakt’ and will remain a ‘deshbhakt’. People calling him a terrorist should instead look within, such people will be given a fitting reply in the election.” This was followed by more comments from three more leaders — Hegde, Katil and Saumitra.
Katil compared Godse with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who has been a chief target of the ruling party in the election campaign, nearly 30 years after his assassination. Hegde had tweeted that “seven decades later, the condemned were being heard”. Both the tweets vanished from their Twitter timelines. Hegde later put out a message claiming his account had been breached.
Saumitra has been suspended after he tweeted that Gandhi was the “father of Pakistan” and “crores of people were born in India like Gandhi, though some were useful and others useless”. In a statement, Amit Shah said the party had nothing to do with their personal statements and yet the party has taken them seriously as the utterances were against the BJP ideology.
It has, therefore, referred the statements to the disciplinary committee. Despite her party disowning her comments, Pragya Thakur had remained defiant and stopped short of tendering an apology. “The party’s line is my line,” she said at first. Then she said the comment was her personal view and expressed regret for hurting sentiments.
She finally tweeted an apology last night: “I apologise to the people of the country for my statements on Nathuram Godse. My statement was absolutely wrong. I have huge respect for the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi.” Congress leader Kapil Sibal questioned PM Modi’s silence on Pragya’s remarks and said he can only pray for the country.
