Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that he will never be able to forgive the BJP candidate from Bhopal, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, for insulting Mahatma Gandhi. Sadhvi Pragya had praised Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Gandhi in New Delhi on January 30, 1948. Sadhvi Pragya had said that Godse was patriotic for assassinating Gandhi.
"I will never be able to forgive Sadhvi Pragya for insulting Bapu," PM Modi told News24
Sadhvi Pragya, who is no stranger to controversy and making scandalous comments, had said on Thursday, "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."
The statement had elicited responses and rebuttals from all corners. Sadhvi Pragya had earlier said that 26/11 terror attack martyr Hemant Karkare deserved to die since he had tortured her when she was in custody over the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
In addition to PM Modi slamming Sadhvi Pragya, the BJP has also suspended the media cell head of the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. When Sadhvi Pragya was inducted into the party, PM Modi had high words of praise for her. He had said that Sadhvi Pragya was "a symbolic answer to all those who falsely labelled the rich Hindu civilisation as a terrorist."
While Sadhvi Pragya apologised for her comments, she did not make matters better since many were still smarting from her statement. The BJP candidate from Bhopal had tweeted, "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."
