Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Bhopal, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, has responded to the party’s decision not to field her in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In an interview with a news media agency, Thakur revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not have been pleased with her past remarks, leading to her exclusion from the candidate list.
“I did not seek a ticket before, and I am not seeking one now. The use of certain words in my previous statements might not have pleased Prime Minister Modi, and he had expressed that I won’t be forgiven. However, I had already apologised to him earlier,” Thakur said.
Thakur is among the 33 sitting BJP MPs whose names were missing from the party’s first list of 195 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections released on Saturday. The sitting MP from Bhopal, who is also an accused in the Malegaon blast case, has been replaced by Alok Sharma, a former Mayor.
Despite the decision, Thakur expressed her acceptance and emphasised that the focus should not be on why the ticket was denied. She also clarified that she had no plans to quit the BJP. “I will remain available wherever the organisation needs me, and I will fulfil any responsibility given to me,” she said.
Thakur had previously stoked controversy in May 2019 for lauding Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, as a ‘true patriot’. PM Modi had expressed his displeasure at her remarks, stating, “I will never be able to forgive Pragya Thakur for insulting Mahatma Gandhi.”
Despite the controversy, Thakur remains defiant, hitting out at Congress and other Opposition parties, saying they are affected by the “truth” she speaks. She believes her comments are portrayed as controversial in the media, giving unnecessary hype to the issues.
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