NEW DELHI: Nathuram Godse, the man who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, "was a deshbhakt (patriot), is a deshbhakt and will remain one," the BJP's Pragya Singh Thakur said today, adding to her growing list of controversial statements.

The saffron-wearing Pragya Thakur, the BJP's candidate in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, had been asked to respond to an ongoing controversy over south superstar-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, saying that "Godse, the first extremist of independent India, was a Hindu".

The "Sadhvi" who is the main accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast was asked for a response in the context of allegations of "Hindu terror".

"Nathuram Godse was a deshbhakt, is a deshbhakt and will remain a deshbhakt. People calling him a terrorist should instead look within, such people will be given a fitting reply in the election," Pragya Thakur told reporters.

courtesy: NDTV.COM

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Hyderabad (PTI): Two forest officials were caught red-handed on Thursday for allegedly taking Rs 3.5 lakh bribe in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, the Telangana ACB said.

S Sujatha, Forest Divisional Officer, Bhadrachalam and B Krishna, Deputy Range Officer of Tegada, were caught by the ACB while they demanded and accepted an illegal gratification of Rs 3.5 lakh from a complainant at the Forest Divisional office, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said in a release.

The bribe was demanded "for not registering cases against the complainant for allegedly causing damage to forest trees, while laying 2 km BT road from Pusuguppa village, Charla mandal in Bhadradri Kothagudem district to the Chattisgarh broder which was completed in 2025, and also not to disturb the complainant in his present and future works," it said.

The accused officers had initially demanded Rs 10 lakh bribe, and subsequently, on the request of the complainant, they reduced the bribe demand to Rs 3.5 lakh, the ACB alleged, adding that the tainted currency was recovered from the accused.

The accused officers performed their duties "improperly and dishonestly" to obtain undue advantage, the ACB said. The case is under investigation.