Over 100 ex-civil servants seek action against BJP MP Pragya Thakur for 'inflammatory remarks'
New Delhi, Jan 7: Over 100 former bureaucrats on Saturday sought action against Pragya Thakur, the BJP Lok Sabha member from Bhopal, over her alleged inflammatory speech in Karnataka, claiming it "fomented hate against non-Hindu communities".
In an open letter, they said Thakur has forfeited the ethical right to be a Member of Parliament with her incendiary speech and repeated propagation of hate.
"A particular responsibility devolves on the Houses of Parliament which make laws for the country. Surely its members cannot be permitted to violate the principles of the Constitution?
"We therefore urge the honourable Speaker of the Lok Sabha to take immediate action to refer the matter to the Committee of Ethics of the Lok Sabha for such action as may be deemed appropriate," it said.
Thakur had on December 25 in Shivamogga said Hindus have the right to respond to those who attack them and their dignity as she spoke about the killing of Hindu activists.
Speaking at the Hindu Jagarana Vedike's southern region annual convention, she had also told the gathering to give a befitting reply to anyone who "infiltrates our house."
Though Thakur appears to have cleverly chosen her words to avoid criminal charges being made against her, the disguise is only a thin one, the former bureaucrats' letter said. "She is obviously fomenting hate against non-Hindu communities, and advocating violence against them."
Former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, ex-foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon, former Indian Police Service (IPS) officers A S Dulat, Julio Ribeiro, and Amitabh Mathur, and ex-Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers T K A Nair and K Sujatha Rao are among 103 signatories to the letter written by the collective 'Constitutional Conduct Group'.
They said that by her "incendiary words", Thakur has not only committed several offences under the Indian Penal Code, but has also violated the oath taken by her as Member of Parliament to uphold the Constitution of India, which is premised upon the rights to life and liberty, secularism, equality, and fraternity.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
