india

Updated: Jul 31, 2020 01:38 IST

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its MP Pragya Thakur’s controversial comments on Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse.

“Terrorist Pragya calls terrorist Godse, a patriot. A sad day, in the history of India’s Parliament,” Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet.

Pragya Thakur created a storm in Lok Sabha on Thursday when she referred to Godse during a debate on the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill. Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla expunged her remarks from the House records while other members of the House asked her to sit down.

Thakur had called Godse a patriot during the campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. She had to later apologise to the party for her remarks.

Speaking outside Parliament on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi said Thakur’s comments reflect the “heart of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and BJP”, news agency ANI reported. Gandhi said and that he does not want to waste time by demanding action against her.

The BJP has barred Thakur from attending the meeting for party MPs for the rest of the winter session, ANI quoted BJP working president JP Nadda as saying.

She has also being pulled out from the parliamentary panel on defence.

“Her [Pragya Thakur’s] statement yesterday in the parliament is condemnable. The BJP never supports such statement or ideology,” BJP working president JP Nadda told ANI.

During the discussion the SPG bill in Lok Sabha, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) member A Raja cited a statement by Godse where he said that he had nursed a grudge against Gandhi for 32 years before killing him.

Thakur then stood up and began speaking that led to protests by Opposition members.

The Congress party attacked Thakur and said her remarks were a “perfect representation” of BJP’s deplorable hate politics.

“The country is celebrating the 150th year of Gandhi Jayanti, and BJP MP, Pragya Thakur is glorifying Gandhi’s killer Godse as a martyr,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak on what he thinks about Godse.

The PM had responded when Thakur called Godse “patriot” during her Lok Sabha poll campaign.

“She [Pragya Thakur] has apologised. That is a different thing. But in my heart, I cannot forgive her. Everything that has been said about Godse and Gandhi is horribly wrong and fit to be hated and criticised. Those who say this should think a 100 times in future,” Modi had said in a TV interview.