Congress's Jyotiraditya Scindia criticises BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur for her "marak shakti" remark

Senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia has criticised BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur for her remark that the Opposition is using "marak shakti" (killing power) to harm BJP leaders. He asked the saffron party to "introspect" for bringing such a person into politics.

Pragya Thakur on Monday said the Opposition was using "marak shakti" to harm BJP leaders, and the "evil power" was behind the recent deaths of former Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj.

She was addressing a condolence meet at the state BJP office in Bhopal to pay tributes to Arun Jaitley and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Babulal Gaur, who died last week.

Mr Scindia said he was disappointed that a person sitting on a responsible position made such comments.

"The BJP should introspect for giving chance to such a person (to contest polls), because upholding the standards of Indian politics has become a crucial and daunting task," he told reporters in Indore on Monday night.

"Politics should have a certain level of standard. If a person from the political field or outside tries to downgrade it, then it should be strongly condemned," he added.

Pragya Thakur, who defeated Congress leader Digvijaya Singh from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, earlier also made many such controversial remarks and had to apologise for some of them.

On Madhya Pradesh minister Imarti Devi's suggestion that Mr Scindia should be given the responsibility of his home state (MP), the Congress leader said, "The party high command in Delhi will take a decision in this matter (appointment of new chairman of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee)."

The state women and child development minister, who is considered a loyalist of Mr Scindia, recently expressed unhappiness over the senior Congress leader being appointed the party's screening committee head for the forthcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls.

She said Mr Scindia should rather have been given the responsibility of his home state.