The BJP’s Sadhvi Pragya Thakur has waded into another controversy after her comments against the former chief of Mumbai’s anti-terrorism squad Hemant Karkare and the Babri Masjid sparked outrage in the political circles.
This time, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate from Bhopal demanded a ban on burkhas for what she said was for the sake of national security.
Pragya Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon serial blasts in 2008, said on Wednesday that terrorists often take advantage of burkhas by wearing them during their nefarious activities.
“We have to remove our burkhas at airports and also when we visit foreign countries during checking. Then we do not say anything. In a democracy, this decision should be taken by them (Muslim community) on their own and I am confident they will take this decision keeping the interest of the country paramount,” she said in Bhopal.
Pragya Thakur’s statement comes after an editorial in the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamna demanded a ban on burkhas in the country in “national interest”.
“India, especially Jammu and Kashmir, has suffered due to Islamic terror. Countries such as Sri Lanka, France, Britain, New Zealand have taken tough steps, the question is when will India do it,” it said. The editorial asked, “Why is India lagging behind?” when other countries have taken steps to ban the burkha after terrorist attacks. It added that scores of Muslim girls want to get rid of the tradition to cover their face in public.
{{/usCountry}}“India, especially Jammu and Kashmir, has suffered due to Islamic terror. Countries such as Sri Lanka, France, Britain, New Zealand have taken tough steps, the question is when will India do it,” it said. The editorial asked, “Why is India lagging behind?” when other countries have taken steps to ban the burkha after terrorist attacks. It added that scores of Muslim girls want to get rid of the tradition to cover their face in public.
{{/usCountry}}Her comments also follow Sri Lanka’s decision to ban burkhas and anything that covers the face in the country after the Easter Sunday serial bomb blasts by suspected Islamist militants, which killed more than 250 people and injured hundreds of others.
Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi criticised Thakur for not picking up matters that are relevant to the people.
“The BJP has a habit of making issues out of non-issues. The Sadhvi is not talking about farmers, unemployment and other pressing issues. If she feels so strongly about the issue she should have given this suggestion to the Narendra Modi government in the last five years,” Chaturvedi said.
Pragya Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon serial blasts in 2008, had said last month that Karkare — who was killed in the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008 — died because of his ‘karma’ (fate). She said that she had cursed him a month before his death. Thakur received a notice from the Election Commission for her remarks.
Also read: ‘Cursed ATS chief Hemant Karkare, he died’, says Sadhvi Pragya; sparks row
She had also said in a television interview that she was extremely proud of her role in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. She was booked by police for violating the model code of conduct.
Thakur is contesting against senior Congress leader and former chief minister of the state Digvijaya Singh.