Amit Shah Calls Nominating Sadhvi Pragya Thakur an ‘Absolutely Right Decision’

BJP national president Amit Shah on Monday defended the party’s decision to nominate Sadhvi Pragya as a Lok Sabha candidate saying the allegations against her are false and the real culprits in the Malegaon blast case have evaded the law.

Sadhvi Pragya, who is out on bail in the Malegaon blast case of 2008, has been fielded by the BJP from Bhopal constituency.

“It is absolutely a right decision. The allegations against her are baseless. Nothing against her or Swami Aseemanad have been proved,” Shah said while addressing a media conference here.

Shah’s comments have come in after the Indian Police Service (Central) Association slammed Pragya Thakur for her remark on Maharashtra anti-terrorist squad chief Hemant Karkare. Thakur had said that Karkare was killed during the 26/11 attacks because of his “karma” (sins) and her “curse” for him. In the last few days after Thakur’s nomination was made public, the BJP has faced severe backlash from the IPS community for fielding a candidate who’s remark insults not only Karkare ‘but all martyrs who die for the nation.’

Also Read: Despicable, Regrettable— 8 Former Directors General Of Police Condemn Sadhvi Pragya’s Statement (Read Full Text)

In a statement, eight former DGPs said the country owes Karkare a huge debt of gratitude and anything that detracts from this is worthy of strong condemnation.”This despicable and regrettable statement of Pragya Thakur only serves to highlight the need to publicly recognise the supreme sacrifice made by the 35,000 police personnel from all corners of India who since Independence have laid down their lives in the line of duty,” the statement said.

Those who signed the statement include: former Punjab DGP Julio Ribeiro, former BSF chief and UP and Assam DGP Prakash Singh, former Kerala DGPs PKH Tharakan and Jacob Punoose, former National Police Academy (Hyderabad) DGP Kamal Kumar, former Maharashtra DGP Sanjeev Dayal, former Assam DGP and NSG DG Jayanto N. Choudhury, and N Ramachandran, ex-DGP Meghalaya.

Also Read: Exclusive: Reprehensible, Insult to All Martyrs. The Rank and File of Indian Police is Highly Outraged and Strongly Condemns Pragya Thakur’s Statement: ML Kumawat, Former DG, BSF

The family of a victim of the Malegaon Blast has also pleaded before the Bombay High Court to cancel Thakur’s plea since it had been granted to her on ‘health grounds’.

(With PTI inputs)