Didn’t become MP to clean toilets and drains, says Pragya Singh Thakur
Sehore, Jul 21: BJP MP from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur Sunday kicked up a controversy saying she has not become a lawmaker to clean drains or toilets, a statement the Congress said has "exposed" the "hollowness" of the BJP's flagship 'Swachh Bharat' campaign.
Addressing a meeting of BJP workers here in Madhya Pradesh, Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case who is currently out on bail, said the job of an MP is to work with MLAs, corporators and public representatives to ensure development.
"So keep this in mind...We are not here for cleaning a drain. Is it clear?. We are absolutely not (here) for cleaning your toilets. The work which we are supposed to do and elected for, we will do it honestly. This we had said in the past, saying it today and stick to it in future as well," said Thakur, who won her maiden election from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat by defeating Congress leader Digvijay Singh.
The Hindutva leader further said an MP should be told to do work befitting a parliamentarian.
"An MP's work is to join hands with MLAs, corporators and public representatives for development," she added.
"You got (my) phone number easily and rang (me) up.." Thakur said while referring to a call she had received, apparently from a party worker, when she was in Delhi recently.
Thakur said she would give a "patient hearing" to the workers once the Parliamentary sessions gets over.
"Whatever the problem is it will be resolved. The funds we get (as an MP) will be used for public good," she said.
The ruling Congress in Madhya Pradesh has criticised Thakur's statement.
"Thakur's statement speaks about the BJP and the so-called concern its MPs have had towards the problems faced by people," state Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza said.
She said Thakur's statement has "exposed" the "hollowness" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.
Thakur is not new to controversies.
In the run-to her Lok Sabha elections, she had termed Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse a "patriot".
She had also claimed that the then Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare was killed in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks due to her "curse".
Her statement on Godse had evoked strong rebuke from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had said that he would never forgive her for insulting the Father of the Nation.
#WATCH BJP MP from Bhopal, Pragya Thakur in Sehore: Hum naali saaf karwane ke liye nahi bane hain. Hum aapka shauchalaya saaf karne ke liye bilkul nahi banaye gaye hain. Hum jis kaam ke liye banaye gaye hain, vo kaam hum imaandaari se karenge. #MadhyaPradesh pic.twitter.com/VT4pcGKkYx
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2019
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BJP has history of ‘contradictory alliances’, says BK Hariprasad
Bengaluru: Congress MLC B. K. Hariprasad has launched a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing the party of hypocrisy over its criticism of alliance politics in Tamil Nadu.
In a post on X on Friday, Hariprasad said BJP leader B. L. Santhosh criticising the Congress party’s alliance politics in Tamil Nadu was “not just laughable, but the height of political contradiction.”
He said the Congress has always joined hands with like-minded parties to protect secular and democratic values in the country.
Hariprasad questioned the BJP over several of its past and present alliances across the country. Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tripura, Bihar and Maharashtra, he accused the BJP of sharing power with parties it had earlier criticised.
He alleged that the BJP had aligned with separatist and corruption-linked political forces in different states for political gains.
“The BJP, which speaks against alliances today, should first look at its own political history,” he said, adding that the party’s record was full of “contradictions and changing stands.”
Hariprasad also accused the BJP of using central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and CBI as political tools to target opposition leaders, topple governments and influence electoral mandates.
He further claimed that the people of Tamil Nadu had strongly rejected the BJP and its ideology in the recent election.
“Congress forms alliances to protect the Constitution, secularism and national unity, while the BJP enters into alliances only for power,” he said.
