Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur will host one of the four segments being organised as part of the International Yoga Day celebration on June 21 by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, members were informed on Thursday.
Ms. Thakur, 51, had won the 2019 election from Bhopal, defeating senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh by a margin of over 3 lakh votes.
She is also one of the key accused in the 2008 Malegaon bombings, which killed 10 persons and left more than 82 injured. She was arrested on terror charges after her motorcycle was found to have been used in the bomb blast. She is currently under trial for multiple charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In 2017, she was granted bail on health grounds.
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While her election campaign had hit the headlines for many controversial comments, her statement calling Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse a “patriot” got her expelled from the 21-member Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Defence. She was also barred from the BJP’s Parliamentary party meetings. She has been keeping a low profile ever since.
Ms. Thakur’s health is precarious and she has the aid of an attendant within Parliament, too.
According to the bulletin issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, Ms. Thakur will host a talk at noon on ‘Yoga: A Way of Life’.
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The celebration is being held in the online mode. “The celebration will consist of various practical sessions and lectures on various aspects of significance of Yoga in current situation,” the Lok Sabha bulletin said.
The day will be kicked off with a practice session hosted by yoga instructor Ami Desai, followed by a meditation session hosted by Sikar MP Sumedhanand Saraswati. Ms. Thakur’s session is at noon.
The final session on the ‘Significance of Yoga in Covid and Post-Covid Management’ is being hosted by Dr. Ishwar V. Basavaraddi, Director, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga.