- By Vivek Raj
- Mon, 04 Mar 2024 07:49 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, the incumbent Member of Parliament from Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, responded to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) decision not to nominate her for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections because of certain remarks she made in the past.
Thakur said that her exclusion from the BJP's candidate list may be linked to her previous statements, which might have displeased Prime Minister Modi. She stated that Modi had conveyed to her that she "will not be forgiven" for her choice of words.
"I did not seek a ticket before, and I am not seeking one now. The use of certain words in my previous statements might not have pleased Prime Minister Modi, and he had expressed that I wouldn't be forgiven. However, I had already apologised to him earlier," Thakur stated in remarks reported by India Today on Sunday.
It is notable that Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is among the 33 sitting BJP MPs omitted from the party's initial list of 195 candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed his dissatisfaction with Thakur's earlier remarks regarding Mahatma Gandhi in 2019. She had sparked controversy by praising Nathuram Godse as a ‘true patriot’.
"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," Sadhvi had said.
Modi condemned Thakur's comments, asserting that he could not forgive her for glorifying Mahatma Gandhi's assassin.
"The comments on Gandhi and Godse are deplorable, disgusting and are not 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," the Prime Minister had said.
Thakur, who is currently facing trial in connection with the September 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case, rose to prominence during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by defeating Congress stalwart Digvijaya Singh with an impressive margin of 3,64,822 votes.
However, Pragya Singh Thakur's tenure as an MP has been marked by controversies. Before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she sparked outrage by likening Hemant Karkare, a decorated officer and former Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief, to mythological figures Ravan and Kans.
Her remarks on Karkare's death during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks drew widespread condemnation and prompted a show-cause notice from the Election Commission of India (ECI), leading the BJP to distance itself from her.
