Nitish condemns Pragya Thakur’s remark on Godse, favours her expulsion from BJP

PTI, May 19, 2019, 12:23 PM IST

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday strongly condemned BJP’s Bhopal candidate Pragya Singh Thakur’s controversial remark describing assassin of Mahatama Gandhi, Nathuram Godse as “patriot’ and said BJP should consider expelling her from the party.

Kumar, president of BJP’s strong ally JD(U), made it clear that his party would not tolerate such things.

“This is highly condemnable. We will not tolerate all these things (Thakur’s statement terming Godse as patriot). Bapu is the father of the nation and people will not like if anyone talks about Godse in this manner, ” Kumar said.

Kumar was talking to reporters after casting his vote at a polling station located at a government school near Raj Bhavan here. It falls under Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat, where Congress candidate Shatrughan Sinha is locked in an intense contest with Union Minister Ravishankar Prasad.

In reply to a query whether the BJP should expel her from the party, Kumar said that “it must be considered.”  He, however, was quick to add that though “it is an internal matter of the BJP, but so far as country or ideology is concerned, there is no question of tolerating such things.”

In reply to a query, Kumar said that he has never compromised over 3Cs– “crime, corruption and communalism”. Pragya Thakur kicked a row by describing Godse as ‘deshbhakt’. She, however, apologised over the controversial remark after being pulled up by her party.

During a roadshow in MP, Thakur had said that “Nathuram Godseji deshbhakt the, hain, air rahenge, unko aatankwadi kahne wale log swayam ki gireban me jhank kar dekhe chunav main aise logon ko jawab de diya jayega (Nathuram Godse was a patriot, is a patriot and will remain a patriot. Those who call him a terrorist should look within they will get a reply in this election)

It may be noted that Prime Ministet Narendra Modi on May 17 had said that he will never forgive BJP candidate Pragya Thakur for insulting Mahatma Gandhi by calling his assassin Nathuram Godse a “true patriot”.

Modi, who had told a TV channel during his last rally at Khargone in Madhya Pradesh on May 17, said that “the remarks made about Gandhiji or Nathuram Godse are very bad and very wrong for society. “She has sought an apology but I would never be able to forgive her fully.”

BJP president Amit Shah had also condemned the remarks and said that remarks on Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin by three leaders – Thakur, Union minister Anantkumar Hegde and Karnataka MP Nalin Kumar – were not in line with the party’s ideology.

Shah had said that party’s disciplinary committee has sought an explanation from them in 10 days.