Embattled BJP MP for Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur on Friday apologised in the Lok Sabha after she was heavily criticised for allegedly referring to Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, as a patriot.
Sadhvi Pragya allegedly made the reference to Godse while DMK MP A. Raja was speaking during a debate on the SPG Act on Wednesday.
Speaking in Parliament, Sadhvi Pragya said if her remarks had hurt anyone, she was apologising for it. Sadhvi Pragya declared that her statement had been twisted.
Pragya stated, "My statements made in Parliament are being distorted. I respect Mahatma Gandhi's contribution to the nation." Pragya and some BJP leaders had claimed on Wednesday that she had not referred to Godse in Parliament, but instead to Uddham Singh, the revolutionary who assassinated a British official as revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Sadhvi Pragya also took aim at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi who had referred to her as a "terrorist" in a tweet. Pragya declared, "A member of the House referred to me as 'terrorist'. It is an attack on my dignity. No charges against me have been proven in court.” Interestingly, after Sadhvi Pragya's statement, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wanted to bring a privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi for calling her a 'terrorist'.
Opposition members were apparently unmoved by the apology and stormed the well of the House, shouting, "'Mahatma Gandhi ki Jai' and 'Down, down Godse'''.
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Speaking on the issue, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, “Not only this nation but the world follows principles of Mahatma Gandhi.” He urged that the reference to Godse not be politicised. He claimed that if the Lok Sabha continued referring to the controversy, “it would be before the world”.
“This House doesn't permit to glorify the matter of assassination of Mahatma Gandhi whether in this House or outside,” Birla claimed.
On Thursday, the BJP's parliamentary board recommended the removal of Sadhvi Pragya from the panel on defence and BJP chief Amit Shah also warned of action against her.
