While BJP MP Pragya Thakur read out a second apology agreed to by all parties for calling Nathuram Godse a “patriot” on Wednesday, in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, he stands by what he said on Twitter, calling BJP MP Pragya Thakur a “terrorist” and he will face any action against him.
“I didn’t name Godse during discussion on SPG Bill but even then I apologise if someone was hurt,” she said in the Parliament.
Facing opposition’s fury, Bhopal MP Thakur earlier today apologised to Lok Sabha, but her conditional apology also said that her “statements were misinterpreted”.
“If my statements have hurt anyone, then I would like to apologise. But I would also like to say that my statements were twisted and presented in another manner, and this is condemnable,” she told the Lower House.
“A member of the house referred to me as ‘terrorist’. It is an attack on my dignity as a member of parliament and also as a woman. No charges against me have been proven in court. I have been misquoted and victimised. It’s derogatory to call me a terrorist. It is illegal to call me a terrorist and whoever has done this directly insulting the judicial system,” she said.
Her statement was followed by protests by Opposition leaders who chanted slogans of ‘Mahatma Gandhi ki Jai, and ‘Down, down Godse’ in the House.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had posted a tweet on Thursday on the issue, He said, “Terrorist Pragya calls terrorist Godse, a patriot. A sad day, in the history of India’s Parliament.”
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Terrorist Pragya calls terrorist Godse, a patriot.
A sad day, in the history of
India’s Parliament.— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 28, 2019
Meanwhile, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey was demanding a privilege motion against the Congress leader for calling Thakur a “terrorist”
Rahul Gandhi while talking to reporters said, “Yes, I stand by my statement. What I have written on Twitter, I stand by it.”
He further said, “That’s ok. There’s no problem. Whatever they want to do, I’ll welcome.”
Thakur’s praise of Godse had sparked outrage, with the opposition in Lok Sabha condemning what it called the “BJP’s deplorable hate politics” and Speaker Om Birla expunging her remarks from the record. “We have decided that Pragya Singh Thakur will be removed from the consultative committee of defence, and in this session she will not be allowed to participate in BJP parliamentary party meetings,” said BJP’s working president JP Nadda.
Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla appealed to the house to not politicise the matter as he said, “Not only this nation but the world follows the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. We shouldn’t politicise this issue. If we do, it’ll be before the world. So as I said, the remarks won’t be recorded. This House doesn’t permit to glorify the matter of assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, whether in this House or outside. Yesterday, the Defence Minister gave the clarification on behalf of the government. The MP (Pragya Singh Thakur) has apologised too.”
On Thursday Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had also condemned Thakur’s remarks saying, “The very soch (thinking) of Nathuram Godse being deshbhakt (patriot), should end,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in parliament.