Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose party Janata Dal (United) is an ally of the BJP-led NDA, slammed Sadhvi Pragya Thakur’s remarks on Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the JD(U) chief said that Thakur’s ‘Godse is a patriot’ remark is “condemnable” adding that action against the BJP candidate from Bhopal is an internal matter of the saffron party.
“It is condemnable. What action the party takes is their internal matter. We should not tolerate such a statement,” Kumar said.
JD(U) is contesting the Lok Sabha elections 2019 in an alliance with the BJP in Bihar.
Thakur had created a major controversy a few days ago by saying that Godse will always be a patriot. She was responding to a question on Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan’s remark that the first terrorist of independent India was a Hindu called Nathuram Godse.
Though Thakur later apologised for her remarks, PM Modi said that he will “never be able to forgive” BJP’s Bhopal candidate Pragya Thakur for calling Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse a “patriot” and thereby insulting Bapu.
In an interview to News 24 TV channel, PM Modi underlined that such statements cannot be tolerated in a civilized society, adding that those who say such things should think 100 times.
“She has apologised. That is a different thing. But in my heart, I cannot forgive her,” said PM Modi.
BJP president Amit Shah on Friday defended the Thakur’s candidature calling it ‘satyagraha’ against the fake case of saffron terror.
“Pragya Thakur’s candidature is a ‘satyagraha’ against a fake case of bhagwa (saffron) terror. The then Congress government compromised with national security for vote-bank politics. Her candidature was ‘satyagraha’ against it,” Shah said at a press conference, in the presence of PM Modi.
Shah, however, said that the party would take appropriate action after her reply to the show-cause notice issued in the wake of the controversy.
The BJP on Friday distanced itself from the controversial statements made by three of its leaders on Godse. Besides Thakur, Anantkumar Hegde and Nalin Kateel, too, had allegedly made controversial remarks on Godse.
BJP said that statements of Anantkumar Hegde, Pragya Thakur and Nalin Kateel are their personal opinion.
Amit Shah further informed that BJP has taken their statements seriously and sent the remarks to the disciplinary committee.