The BJP has pitted Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur against Congress heavyweight Digvijaya Singh in the capital of Madhya Pradesh. Her candidature was cleared by BJP president Amit Shah, who announced her name at a rally in Odisha soon after she was formally inducted into the party.
“Rahul Gandhi and Congress cannot secure the country,” Shah said on Wednesday. “They can only defame Hindu dharma in the whole world by calling it Hindu terror and Saffron terror. BJP has decided to field Sadhvi Pragya Thakur against Digvijaya Singh who coined the word ‘Saffron Terror’.”
Moments after her candidature was announced, Thakur tore into Singh. “He has sown the seeds of defamation of our Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism. He termed the saffron and Hindutva as terrorism,” she alleged. Singh responded via Twitter saying, “I pray to Maa (goddess) Narmada for Sadhviji and seek blessing from Narmadaji so that we all walk the path of truth, non-violence and religion,” he said.
Out on bail, Thakur has been discharged by a court on charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the 2008 case, but she still faces trial under other criminal provisions including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
“They (the then Congress government) misused the law, disrespected a woman, and tortured me unlawfully,” she said in reference to her incarceration. “I will ensure that the country remains secure, and those who are talking against the nation should now beware”. Shah’s move is expected to lead to sharp polarisation in Bhopal, say political observers.
Sadhvi Pragya was an active member of BJP’s student wing ABVP and also ‘Durga Vahini’, the women’s wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). “I will definitely win; it will not be difficult for me,” she said after meeting senior BJP leaders Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Ramlal in Bhopal.
Her candidature immediately got a thumbs up from sitting Bhopal MP, Alok Sanjar. “The whole BJP machinery in Bhopal will ensure her victory,” he said, denying reports of frustration and anger among workers on a rank outsider being given a party ticket.
In reference to Thakur’s controversial background, Sanjar said, “No allegation was proved against her. A woman was harassed. Now it is time to answer it.”
Malegaon Blasts
- Sept 29, 2008: 6 killed, 70 plus hurt in bomb blasts
- Jan 20, 2009: Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur charge-sheeted by ATS
- July 31, 2009: Spl MCOCA court drops charges against
- April 13, 2011: NIA takes over the case
- 2011, 2015: SC, MCOCA Spl court reject bail plea
- May 13, 2016: NIA drops charges in 2nd charge sheet
- April 25, 2017: Bombay HC grants bail
- May 3, 2017: Sadhvi seeking discharge from case
- May 12, 2017: NIA tells Spl Court it has no objection to Thakur’s discharge plea
- December 27, 2017: NIA court drops MCOCA charges
- October 30, 2018: Special NIA court frames charges against Sadhvi Pragya
Source: RNA
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