BJP leader Pragya Singh Thakur, who stirred a controversy after calling Mahatama Gandhis' assassin, Nathuram Godse, a patriot, on Friday apologised for her remarks in Lok Sabha. But she was quick to add that she was misquoted and her comments blown out of proportion.
"My statements made in Parliament are being distorted. I respect Mahatma Gandhi's contribution to the nation," the BJP MP from Bhopal said.
With ruckus prevailing in the Lok Sabha over her statement, Thakur said she never referred to Nathuram Godse as a patriot and apologised again.
Later, Thakur apologised again, saying, "I did not call Nathuram Godse a 'deshbhakt'. I did not even mention his name. I apologise again if I have hurt any sentiments."
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Her second apology came after Speaker Om Birla convened a meeting of party leaders to end the impasse in the House.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Thakur also slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had referred to her as a "terrorist" in a tweet on Thursday.
"It is defamatory to call me a terrorist. A member of the House referred to me as a terrorist. It is an attack on my dignity. No charges against me have been proven in court," Thakur said.
On Thursday, Thakur said her remarks in Lok Sabha were against "insult" to revolutionary Udham Singh.
Thakur created a controversy on Wednesday with her remark in the Lower House during DMK member A Raja's narration of a statement by Nathuram Godse before a court on why he killed Mahatma Gandhi.
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When DMK member A Raja cited a statement of Godse on why he killed Mahatma Gandhi during a discussion on the Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, Thakur interrupted and said, "You cannot give an example of a deshbhakt."
Meanwhile, BJP working president J P Nadda on Thursday announced disciplinary action against Thakur and condemned the controversial Hindutva leader's remarks in a bid to defuse the political crisis triggered by her remarks on Wednesday.
