After praising Godse, Pragya Thakur now calls Gandhi 'son of the nation'

Months after calling Mahatma Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse a “patriot,” BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur has again left the saffron party red-faced, this time by calling Gandhi the “son of the nation”.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday (October 20), the saffron party’s Bhopal MP called Gandhi a ‘rashtraputra’ (son of the nation) like many other icons of ancient and medieval India. The remark triggered angry reaction from the ruling Congress in the state.

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“Gandhiji is son of the nation. Gandhiji is son ofthis land. Lord Ram, Maharana Pratap, Shivaji Maharaj are sons of this land. Those who did commendable work for the country are respectable for us, we follow their path,” Thakur said.

The first-time MP, who was a key accused in the Malegaon blast case, was also asked why she missed the BJP’s ‘Gandhi Sankalp Yatra’, which was organised to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. However, reports said that she fended off such queries.

The state Congress lost no time in slamming Thakur and the BJP for her remarks on Gandhi. “This shows the BJP’s hypocrisy. On the one hand, they are holding processions claiming to show their respect for Mahatma Gandhi and on the other, their MP is disrespecting this great leader, who is admired across the world, said state Congress spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi.

Also read | Pragya Singh Thakur calls Godse a patriot

The country loves Mahatma Gandhi andaddresses him as the Father of the Nation with respect and heshould be addressed like that, added Chaturvedi.

Making controversial remarks is not new to Thakur, who had in May this year called Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse a “patriot”. After the statement created an uproar and left the BJP embarrassed, she had quickly withdrawn her remark. Thakur had also made controversial remarks against 26/11 hero Hemant Karkare.

(With inputs from agencies)