Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Bhopal, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, responded to the party's decision not to nominate her in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might not have been pleased with her previous remarks hailing Nathuram Godse. Thakur said that Modi had indicated that she "will not be forgiven."
Thakur, who is among the 33 sitting BJP MPs absent from the party's initial list of 195 candidates, acknowledged the decision and urged people not to dwell on the reasons behind it, India Today reported. The party has instead chosen to field Alok Sharma from Bhopal this time.
"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 wouldn't be forgiven. However, I had already apologised to him earlier", Thakur told India Today.
In 2019, PM Modi expressed dissatisfaction with Thakur's comments praising Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi's assassin, stating that he would 'never forgive' her for insulting Gandhi.
Thakur defended her statements, asserting that she spoke the truth, albeit 'portrayed controversially' by the media, and affirmed her commitment to the BJP, stating that she was willing to undertake any responsibilities assigned by the party organisation.
"I will remain available wherever the organisation needs me, and I will fulfil any responsibility given to me," she told India Today.