BJP MPs Repeat Offenders in Praising Godse, Says Jyotiraditya Scindia

Gwalior: Senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday said BJP leaders are repeat offenders when it came to praising Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse.

The row began after BJP Bhopal MP Pragya Thakur called Godse a patriot during a discussion on SPG (Amendment) Bill on November 27, though she denied using the term in a statement made in the Lok Sabha on November 29.

Speaking to reporters after paying tribute at the Mahatma's statue in the Phool Bagh area here, Scindia said, "A mistake happens once but BJP MPs are doing this repeatedly. A BJP MP in 2014 had described Mahatma Gandhi's assassin as a patriot. Now another MP has said this."

"At that time (2014), the House was adjourned and the MP was asked by the then government to apologise," he said, adding that the BJP speaks of discipline but its leaders continued to show disrespect to the country (with such statements).

He called recent attempts by the Hindu Mahasabha to "worship" Godse as "condemnable", going on to add that "it is inappropriate to even utter the name of the person who killed Gandhiji".

Speaking on a recent change in his Twitter bio, Scindia said it was done a month back. H said, "I am a Congress worker and such rumours (on his future plans outside the party) should now stop," he stressed.

Scindia, who was chairperson of the screening committee during the Maharashtra Assembly polls, expressed confidence the coalition government in that state, formed by Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, would "create history".