The Opposition parties were up in arms against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday after its Bhopal candidate, terrorism accused Pragya Singh Thakur, referred to Nathuram Godse as an "eternal patriot".
Responding to her controversial comment, Congress spokesperson, Rajdeep Surjewala said, “India’s soul is again under attack by the current ruling BJP dispensation”, adding Thakur had crossed all limits by describing Godse as a “true nationalist”.
“BJP leaders are describing the murderer of the father of the nation as a true nationalist while declaring those who sacrificed their lives for a nation like Hemant Karkare as anti-nationals,” he said.
“Pragya Thakur crossed all limits today and committed the unpardonable sin of describing Nathuram Godse as a true nationalist,” he added.
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Earlier in the day, Thakur said: “Nathuram Godse was a deshbhakt (patriot), 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."
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah took to Twitter and wrote: "If the killer of the father of the nation is a patriot does that make Mahatma Gandhi anti-national?"
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said the Bhopal candidate’s remark wasn't her "personal opinion", and that the BJP was standing by independent India’s first terrorist.
“Remember, Narendra Modi has defended & endorsed Pragya’s candidature. This is not a ‘lunatic fringe’ & is definitely not her ‘personal opinion’, it is the BJP standing by independent India’s first terrorist. In few years, Sri Godse will also be recommended with a Bharat Ratna,” Owaisi tweeted, mocking the BJP.
