Problematic Pragya

THE BJP’s decision to field Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, from the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat was brazenly controversial. Amit Shah and other leaders had promptly given her the clean chit in the terror case without waiting for the court to do its job. But the party’s unwillingness to withdraw her candidature or expel her despite her irresponsible utterances is nothing short of suicidal. The Hindutva activist, who proudly claims to have been part of the mob that demolished Babri Masjid, stirred a hornet’s nest by calling Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse a ‘deshbhakt’ (patriot). Hours later, after the BJP left her to fend for herself, she apologised and retracted her statement. She even said that ‘what Gandhiji has done for the country cannot be forgotten’, but it was clearly an unconvincing attempt at damage control. She had already caused irreparable damage to the party, which merely referred her case to a disciplinary committee and sought a report in 10 days — ample time for the dust to settle.

The BJP should have taken drastic action last month itself when Pragya claimed that IPS officer Hemant Karkare had been killed during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks as she had ‘cursed’ him for torturing her in custody. Amid an uproar, she said sorry and took back her outrageous comment. Subsequently, the Election Commission had barred her from campaigning for three days due to her hate speeches.

When Pragya’s candidature was announced, Shah had projected her as a victim of the ‘Hindu terror conspiracy theory’ and said the BJP wanted the world to know that she had been framed. Shah and Co now need to explain why they have failed to rein in the likes of Pragya and Karnataka MP Nalin Kateel, who tweeted about Godse, Ajmal Kasab and Rajiv Gandhi in the same breath. PM Narendra Modi has declared that he can never forgive Pragya. His party, too, has committed an unforgivable offence by letting loose the so-called Sadhvi and her ilk.