BJP leader Usha Thakur calls Nathuram Godse a ‘nationalist’
Bhopal, May 29: After all clamour for discipline, the BJP seems to have decided to soft-pedal action against Pragya Thakur over her remarks about Godses patriotism.
Even before the issue was put to rest, another Thakur has raised her voice in favour of Godse. The party MLA from Mhow in Indore, Usha Thakur, reiterated at a press conference on Wednesday what Pragya had said nearly two weeks ago. The message is clear: the party's threat to act against the offenders was just eyewash.
"Godse was a patriot, quite concerned about the nation," said Usha Thakur. We need to look at the circumstances prevailing in that period to ascertain what drove him to kill Mahatma Gandhi. The party has obviously decided to look the other way. Usha Thakur had hit the headlines three years ago by calling for a ban on Muslim youth participating in Garba during Navaratri. Like Pragya, the mobike-riding Usha has a penchant to dip words in venom before shooting them.
On May 16 the Pragya had incurred the leadership's wrath by calling Godse a patriot. BJP president Amit Shah had ordered show-cause notices to be served on her and three others, Karnataka's Anant Kumar Hegde and Nalin Kateel and Madhya Pradesh media cell in charge Anil Saumitra who eulogised Godse or demeaned Gandhi. They were asked to explain their conduct in ten days and the matter was referred to a disciplinary committee. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone to the extent of saying he would never be able to forgive Pragya.
Modi was shown ignoring Pragya when she greeted him during a meeting of new members of Lok Sabha. The whole sequence came to nought as Modi decided to forget her offence. There seems to be no further action after BJP suspended Saumitra from the primary membership of the party.
With the election heat on, the matter was referred to the disciplinary committee and the offenders were asked to explain their conduct in ten days. Despite her apology, the party was unhappy with Pragya Thakur. During the heat of the campaigning party president Amit Shah called the remarks on Mahatma Gandhi's assassin "not in line with the party's ideology" and party's disciplinary committee had given them 10 days to explain their comments.
The leaders have apparently not bothered to reply to the notice, nor has the disciplinary committee received any formal communication from the party president.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
