PM Modi ‘Fights Terror’ Yet Defends Terror Accused Pragya Thakur

BJP’s primary plank in the 2019 elections is fighting terror. Yet, the party fielded a terror accused from Bhopal.

(Photo: Erum Gour/TheQuint)

Yes, Mr Prime Minister Narendra Modi, you CAN field a terror accused as a Lok Sabha candidate. But today we are NOT questioning whether you CAN, we are questioning whether you SHOULD.

The BJP’s primary plank this Lok Sabha election has been its fight against terror. Should the prime minister then have fielded, shielded and defended a terror accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case – Pragya Singh Thakur?

In an interview to Times Now, you said Pragya Thakur's connection to the blast that killed eight people was a “political conspiracy”. Let's get down to some facts.

Pragya Singh Thakur was identified as the prime conspirator in the Malegaon terror attack by the then chief of Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad Hemant Karkare.

Karkare, who refused to bend on the investigation, lost his life fighting for the country in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. Pragya Thakur said he died because she cursed him.

Should a prime minister who asks for votes in the name of Pulwama martyrs remain radio silent when his own candidate insults a 26/11 hero?

Coming back to the investigation, it was found that Thakur's motorbike was used to plant the bombs for the attack.

She was also charge-sheeted for allegedly being a part of meetings of the radical Hindutva outfit Abhinav Bharat. The meetings were allegedly conducted to plan attacks on Muslim-majority areas.

The case began to be suppressed after the NIA took over in 2011 under the UPA-II government. The final charge sheet filed by the NIA in 2016 exonerated Thakur from all charges. Suddenly, from being the main player in the case, she became NO player at all.

Before the charge sheet was filed, NIA’s special public prosecutor Rohini Salian publicly said, “Since the new government came to power, I have been asked to go soft on Hindu extremism.”

So basically, she admitted that under the Modi government, she was pressured to relieve Pragya Thakur from charges of terrorist activities.

Despite an allegedly compromised investigation, the NIA special court REFUSED to acquit Thakur. In 2018, the court said there was enough evidence to frame charges against Pragya Thakur under the UAPA and the IPC.

So no, she has NOT been acquitted of all terror charges. She is simply out on bail.

So here's my question to the prime minister and to the bhakts defending Pragya Thakur –should the BJP then have fielded a person charged under various terror laws?Or do you not have faith in the indian judicial system?

In the same interview to Times Now, the prime minister said he would have a "hitting touch” to separatists and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Should he then have defended Pragya Thakur and said she was a “sadhvi” tortured for no reason?Or is it their religion that makes all the difference?

And just by the way, Pragya Singh Thakur’s allegations of extreme torture while in the custody of the Hemant Karkare-led state ATS couldn’t be proved anywhere, be it the Supreme Court, the Bombay High Court, or the National Human Rights Commission.

In that interview again, you said there is a hue and cry about Pragya Thakur's candidature from Bhopal but nobody questions Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi who are also out on bail.

Mr prime minister, should you really be equating allegations of economic offences to that of terrorist activities?

So essentially, the prime minister will field a terror accused in the Lok Sabha polls.
To defend her, he will equate terror acts with economic offences.
He will not say a word when she celebrates the death of a 26/11 veer shaheed.
And yet he will come to you and seek your votes in the name of fighting terror and the veer shaheeds of Pulwama.