Amit Shah seeks explanation from Anant Kumar Hegde, Nalin Kumar Kateel and Pragya Singh Thakur on pro-Godse remarks: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shan on Thursday cracked the whip against party leaders Anant Kumar Hegde, Nalin Kumar Kateel and Pragya Singh Thakur over their pro-Godse remarks in a damage control drive just two days before the 7th and final round of voting for the 2019 Lok Sabha Election in the country. Amit Shah made it clear the party doesn’t endorse the comments made by the BJP leaders and it is their personal opinion. Hours after Hegde, Kateel and Pragya withdrew their statements and apologised the BJP president, in a series of tweets on Thursday, asked them to submit their explanations within 10 days as their comments are antithetical to the BJP’s ideology. The trio is contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections on BJP tickets.
On Thursday, Pragya Singh Thakur, the BJP candidate from Bhopal, dubbed Nathuram Godse as a patriot, days after Makkal Needhi Maiyam founder Kamal Haasan claimed that he was free India’s first extremist. While BJP lawmaker Nalin Kumar Kateel compared Nathuram Godse with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi while Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde, on his Twitter handle, wrote: “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!”
Godse killed one, Kasab killed 72, Rajiv Gandhi killed 17,000. You judge who is crueller in this??” – Nalin Kateel tweeted on Thursday. Hegde, who is noted for controversial remarks, tweeted: “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!” The controversial tweets have been deleted.
Anant Kumar Hegde is the current Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the Member of Parliament for Uttara Kannada constituency.
Nalin Kumar Kateel is a second-time BJP MP from Dakshina Kannada constituency. He was elected the first time in 2009, upon defeating Congress representative Janardhana Poojary by over 40,000 votes. In 2014 he was re-elected with a bigger majority. Before 2009, he was the District General Secretary of the BJP.
Earlier, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had cracked the whip against overseas Indian Congress chief Sam Pitroda for his remarks on the 1084 anti-Sikh riots.
