New Delhi: While the BJP is desperately trying to quell the controversy over party leader Pragya Singh Thakur’s controversial remarks on Nathuram Godse describing him as patriot, yet another saffron leader courted a controversy, saying Mahatma Gandhi was the father of Pakistan, and not India.
Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesperson Anil Saumitra, through his Facebook post, explained that Mahatma Gandhi was the father of nation of Pakistan, but not of India.
He further wrote that in India there were millions of sons like him (Gandhi), some worthless and some worthy.
However, the BJP leader didn’t write the name of Mahatma Gandhi in the Facebook post.
He also said the Facebook post is his personal views and has nothing to do with the party.
Saumitra’s post is the latest addition to the BJP leaders’ growing list of controversial statements during this election season.
Earlier, Pragya Thakur, the BJP candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, had 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 fitting reply in the election.”
Shockingly, two MPs, Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde and Nalin Kumar Kateel, came out with remarks in support of Godse, causing a huge embarrassment for the party just before the last round of voting for national elections on Sunday.
“Godse killed one, Kasab killed 72, Rajiv Gandhi killed 17,000. You judge who is more cruel in this??” tweeted Kateel, a BJP MP from Karnataka. He is contesting the election from Dakshina Kannada.
Hegde, who too is from Karnataka, tweeted saying: “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!”
Shortly afterwards, he deleted the tweet and posted, “My Twitter account has been breached twice in the past one week and certain tweets have been posted on my timeline which has been discarded and deleted. Regret the posts attributed to me.”
Meanwhile, BJP president Amit Shah went into damage control mode over the controversial statements and asked the three party leaders for an explanation within 10 days for their remarks in support of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse.