Can't forgive Pragya for insulting Bapu: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he will never forgive BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal Pragya Singh Thakur and others for glorifying Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as "deshbhakt" (patriot).

"Whatever statements have been made on Gandhiji or Godse are very bad. They need to be criticised as these are not acceptable to the society. Those who have said so would need to think 100 times. Although she has sought apology but I will never forgive her for insulting Bapu," the Prime Minister told Hindi news channel News24 in an interview.

Modi's remarks came a day after the comment by Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, provided fodder to the Congress to target the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Nathuram Godse was a 'deshbhakt', is a 'deshbhakt' and will remain a 'deshbhakt'. People calling him a terrorist should instead look within. Such people will be given a befitting reply in these elections," Thakur told reporters in Bhopal on Thursday.

As her statement went viral, two BJP MPs -- Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde and Nalin Kumar Kateel -- also came out in her support.

--IANS

bns/mr