NEW DELHI: BJP working president J P Nadda on Monday pulled up the party’s controversial MP from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Thakur for her purported remarks that she had not been elected to get toilets and gutters cleaned.
“The BJP working president had summoned Thakur. The party leadership is anguished at her remarks made before the BJP workers in Bhopal. She was admonished and warned not to repeat such reckless statements. She has been told that the party would take action if she were to make such uncalled for statements,” said a senior BJP functionary.
Thakur called on Nadda at the BJP headquarters. She sought to give context for her statements. But Nadda told her bluntly that no excuses could explain belittling of works which are directly linked with Central schemes, including Swachh Bharat, added the BJP functionary.
Incidentally, Thakur has left the BJP leadership red-faced on several occasions on the campaign trail for her maiden Lok Sabha elections from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh against the Congress veteran Digvijay Singh. She had even termed Mahatma Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse as a patriot.
She later apologised after the BJP leadership took exception to her remarks.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech to the BJP MPs after the Lok Sabha verdict had stated that he wouldn’t forgive such remarks despite apology.
After Thakur had similarly made controversial remarks against slain police officer Hemant Karkare, martyred during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the BJP leadership had entrusted the party vice president Vinay Sahashrabuddhe to guide her during the election campaign.
Thakur, who is currently on bail in the Malegaon blast case, was seen sitting on the last bench in Lok Sabha during the debate on the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill.