New Delhi,May 17: Distancing itself from pro-Godse remarks of its three leaders, Sadhvi Pragya, Anant Kumar Hegde, and Nalin Kumar Kateel, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah said the party does not endorse the comments made.
In a damage control mode after statements of the three leaders stirred up a controversy, BJP chief Amit Shah said statements made by Ananth Kumar Hegde, Pragya Thakur and Nalin Kateel are their personal opinion and BJP has nothing to do with it.
“They have withdrawn their statements and apologised. BJP has taken their statements seriously and sent these statements to disciplinary committee,” Amit Shah tweeted on Friday.
BJP chief Amit Shah said the BJP disciplinary committee has sought an explanation from the three leaders. They have been asked to submit the report to the BJP within 10 days.
BJP’s Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate and Malegaon blast accused Pragya Thakur on Thursday lauded Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse as a “patriot”, sparking outrage from the Opposition.
Under fire for her remarks, Pragya Thakur tendered an apology on Thursday and said she respected Mahatma Gandhi as his work for the country cannot be forgotten.
On Friday, Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde jumped into the controversy on Nathuram Godse saying that after seven decades he would be happy with the debate.
“Am glad that 7 decades later today’s generation debates in a changed perceptional environment and gives good scope for the condemned to be heard upon. #NathuramGodse would have finally felt happy with this debate!” Hegde tweeted.
However, he soon deleted the tweet and said his Twitter account had been breached twice in the past one week.
After Anantkumar Hegde, BJP MP from Karnataka Nalin Kumar Kateel compared Godse with former PM Rajiv Gandhi.
In a tweet, Nalin Kumar Kateel said, “Godse killed one, Kasab killed 72, Rajiv Gandhi killed 17,000. You judge who is more cruel in this??” The tweet was then deleted.
BJP spokesperson Anil Saumitra also fuelled the fire to Nathuram Godse controversy and said that Mahatma Gandhi was the father of the nation of Pakistan.
