BJP condemns Pragya's praise for Nathuram Godse, asks her to apologise
New Delhi, May 16: The BJP on Thursday condemned its Bhopal Lok Sabha seat candidate Pragya Singh Thakur's praise for Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as "patriot" and asked her to tender a public apology.
"We completely disagree with her statement with regard to Mahatma Gandhi. We strongly condemn this statement. The party will seek clarification from her as to why she gave this. It would be proper for her to seek and tender a public apology for her objectionable statement," BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said in a statement.
But she stopped short of an apology, despite BJP leaders calling for one.
"It was my personal opinion. My intention was not to hurt anyone's sentiments. If I've hurt anyone I do apologise. What Gandhi Ji has done for the country cannot be forgotten. My statement has been twisted by the media," she told news agency ANI.
Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, ignited a fresh controversy Thursday by claiming that Godse "is and will remain a patriot".
Talking to a news channel in Madhya Pradesh, she 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."
Thakur said this in response to a question over actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan's remarks that free India's first extremist was a Hindu, a reference to Godse.
This is not the first time her extreme views have embarrassed the BJP after it fielded her from Bhopal against Congress leader Digvijay Singh, projecting her as a "victim" of the UPA government's "fake Hindu terror" theory.
She was earlier forced to apologise after claiming that IPS officer Hemant Karkare, who was killed by terrorists during the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, died as she had cursed him after her arrest in Malegaon blast case.
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5 of family found dead in Mathura, mass suicide suspected
Mathura (UP) (PTI): A couple and their three minor children were found dead inside their home in Mathura's Khapparpur village on Tuesday, police said, suspecting that it is a case of mass suicide.
Police have recovered a suicide note from the spot. A video made by the patriarch of the family was also found on his mobile phone besides a message written on a wall, they said.
Mathura Senior Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar said the deceased have been identified as Manish Kumar (35), a farmer, his wife aged around 32 and their two daughters -- Honey (8) and Priyanshi (5) -- and son Prateek (3).
"They were found dead inside a room of their house," he said.
The police said they received information about the incident from Manish Kumar's brother.
When the children didn't come out in the morning to play, Manish's brother went inside the house after jumping the wall and broke open the door, and found his family members dead. He was accompanied by some villagers.
In the alleged suicide note written by Manish Kumar, the 35-year-old said that he and his wife are willing ending their lives and nobody is responsible for their deaths, according to the police.
He was troubled by some problems and was not able to share them with others, Circle Officer (Mahavan) Shweta Verma said, citing the suicide note.
Calling it an unfortunate incident, Mathura District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh said Manish recorded a video on his mobile before the incident.
In the video, Manish said that he is willingly taking the extreme step. He also mentioned that he recently sold a plot to someone for Rs 12 lakh and had also received money from the buyer.
The DM said that the chief minister has also expressed grief over the incident and directed officials to provide full support to the family and probe the matter from all angles.
SSP Kumar said the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination and an investigation is underway.
Agra Divisional Commissioner Nagendra Pratap also visited the mortuary in the afternoon.
