Roses for the accused: BJP’s lotus for Sadhvi Pragya.

Pragya out of House panel for calling Godse patriot; barred from meetings

Terrorist Pragya calls terrorist Godse, a patriot; sad day in history of Parliament: Rahul

Agency Report | New Delhi | 28 November, 2019 | 09:00 PM

A day after Malegaon blast accused and BJP MP from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur stirred a controversy in Lok Sabha during a debate on Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi took a pot shot at the saffron party saying that it is a "sad day in the history of Indian Parliament". Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla later espunged the remarks of Thakur.

“Terrorist Pragya calls terrorist Godse, a patriot. A sad day in the history of India’s Parliament,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

His remarks came a day after Thakur, who interrupted during the debate in the Lok Sabha when DMK leader A. Raja was reading the statement of Godse in a court on why he killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Following the remarks of Thakur, the Opposition members created ruckus in the House.

Earlier in the day, the BJP cracked its whip on the controversial Bhopal MP and barred her from attending its parliamentary party meetings in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament and also removed her from the consultative committee on defence headed by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

This is not the first time that Thakur had stirred a controversy. In run-up the general elections this year, she had described Nathuram Godse as “patriot”. Following the BJP MP’s remarks on Godse, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said that ‘mai man se kabhi maaf nahi kar paunga’ (I would never be able to forgive her).

She had also stirred controversy by saying that then Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare had died during the 26/11 terror attack because of her “curse”.

Sadhvi Pragya Singh was not only been axed from the Consultative Committee on Defence — she was appointed only eight days ago — but she can’t attend BJP parliamentary party meetings during the current session either.

BJP working president Jagat Prakash Nadda condemned Pragya Thakur’s remarks and said the BJP didn’t support such statements.
Sources said the BJP’s disciplinary committee was likely to expel her from the party.

Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is the MP from Bhopal. (IANS)