Pragya Thakur calls Nathuram Godse 'patriot', BJP 'doesn't agree' with her

BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha seat candidate and Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur Thursday kicked up a row as she called Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse a "patriot".

The Madhya Pradesh BJP, however, distanced itself from her statement saying it did not agree with her, as "Mahatma Gandhi's killer cannot be a patriot".

Talking to a news channel here, Thakur said, "Nathuram Godse was a deshbhakt (patriot), he is and will remain a deshbhakt. Those calling him a terrorist should instead look at themselves. They will be given a befitting reply in this election."

Thakur said this in response to a question over actor-turned politician Kamal Haasan's remarks that free India's first terrorist was a Hindu", a reference to Nathuram Godse.

Pragya Singh was in Agar Malwa for a road-show for Mahendra Solanki, BJP candidate from Dewas Lok Sabha seat.

Addressing an election campaign rally at Aravakurichi (Tamil Nadu) on May 12, Haasan had said, "I am not saying this because this is a Muslim-dominated area, but I am saying this before a statue of Gandhi. Free India's first terrorist was a Hindu, his name is Nathuram Godse. There it (terrorism, apparently) starts."

The Madhya Pradesh BJP distanced itself from Pragya Singh's statement.

"BJP does not agree with her statement. The party will talk to her under which circumstances she gave the statement.

One who killed Mahatma Gandhi can't be a deshbhakt," state BJP media cell in-charge Lokendra Parashar told PTI.