Bharatiya Janata Party MP Pragya Singh Thakur on Friday apologised in the Lok Sabha twice but maintained that she didn’t name Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse on the floor of the House.
Ms. Thakur read out out from a written statement following an uproar over her first apology in which she hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for calling her a ‘terrorist’ in a tweet. Joining in the debate, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said calling “a woman MP a terrorist was worse than killing Mahatma Gandhi.””On November 27, during discussion on SPG (Amendment) Bill, I did not call Nathuram Godse a patriot (desh bhakt), I did not even take his name. Still if someone is hurt, I express my regret and apologise,”said the Bhopal MP in the Lok Sabha around 3 pm, after the Speaker asked her to stick to prepared statement.
The statement was prepared at Speaker Om Birla’s chamber after a meeting of floor leaders to end the impasse in the Lower House.
Mr. Birla was forced to call the meeting after the BJP MP’s initial regret created a fresh logjam.
“On November 27, during discussion on SPG (Amendment) Bill, I did not call Nathuram Godse a patriot (desh bhakt), I did not even take his name. Still if someone is hurt, I express my regret and apologise,” said the Bhopal MP around 3 p.m., after the Speaker asked her to stick to the prepared statement.
“If my comments have hurt in anyway, I regret and seek apology. But, my comments in the House have been twisted and misrepresented,” she said and added that she respects the contribution made by Mahatma Gandhi.
Then Ms. Thakur, who continues to be an accused in the 2008 Malegaon case, attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi without naming him.
“One member has publicly termed me as a terrorist, though I have not been convicted by the court ... it is an insult to a woman and a sadhvi,” she said.
“Calling a woman and Member of Parliament, a terrorist is even worse than the murder of Mahatma Gandhi,” said Nishikant Dubey, BJP MP from Jharkhand, who wanted a privilege motion against Mr. Gandhi.
The Jharkhand MP also attacked the Congress for its double standards as its ally Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamna had described Godse as a true patriot.
Notice against Rahul
Ms. Thakur has reportedly moved a notice against Mr. Gandhi but the Congress leader stood by his comments. “Let them do it. I have made my stand clear. What Pragya Thakur says is what she believes in. I don’t agree with her, but she believes in it,” Mr Gandhi told reporters.
On Thursday, Mr. Gandhi had tweeted, “Terrorist Pragya calls terrorist Godse, a patriot. A sad day, in the history of India’s Parliament.”
However, inside the Lok Sabha, Opposition members insisted that the House should take note of only what was said inside. Terming Ms. Thakur’s apology as a conditional apology, Opposition MPs started shouting slogans “Godse party down down” and “ Mahatama Gandhi ki jai .”
Resignation sought
Congress members stormed into the well of the House to demand the resignation of the BJP member.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Mahatama Gandhi was not only the father of the nation but a global icon and demanded an unqualified apology.
While BSP MP Kunwar Danish Ali demanded that Ms. Thakur’s reference to court proceedings should be expunged, Biju Janata Dal leader B. Mahtab suggested that the Chair refer to video recordings of proceedings to end the ‘confusion’ about whether or not Godse’s name was taken.
