Sadhvi Pragya calls Godse a patriot, apologises after BJP raps her

Pragya Singh Thakur. file pic

New Delhi: BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate and Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur on Thursday sparked a fresh row as she called Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse a "patriot", she apologised for the remark hours later and withdrew the statement.

Condemning Thakur, the Madhya Pradesh BJP distanced itself from her statement saying it did not agree with her, as "Mahatma Gandhi's killer cannot be a patriot". BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said, "We strongly condemn this statement. The party will seek clarification. It would be proper for her to seek and tender a public apology".

Talking to a news channel in MP's Agar Malwa in the afternoon, Thakur said, "Nathuram Godse was a 'deshbhakt' (patriot), he is and will remain a 'deshbhakt'. Those calling him a terrorist should instead look at themselves. They will be given a befitting reply in this election."

"My sentiment was not to hurt anyone's feelings. If it has hurt anybody's feelings then I apologise. What Gandhi ji has done for the country cannot be forgotten. I respect him a lot," she said in a video statement hours later.

'PM should apologise'

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has sought an apology from PM Narendra Modi. "Modi ji, Amit Shah ji and BJP leaders from MP should apologise to the country. Nathuram Godse was a killer and eulogising him is not patriotism, but an anti-national act," he said.

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