Lok Sabha polls: PM Modi defends BJP fielding Sadhvi Pragya from Bhopal, says it will ''Cost Congress Dearly''

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday defended his party's decision over fielding Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, as the BJP candidate from Bhopal.

PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday defended his party's decision over fielding Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, as the BJP candidate from Bhopal. Modi lashed out at the opposition saying that it was a symbolic answer to all those who falsely labeled the rich Hindu civilization as "terrorist" and asserted that "this symbol will prove costly for the Congress". He said the Congress works with a certain "modus operandi" to create false narratives on incidents such as the Samjhauta Express blast and death of judge BH Loya. On the question of fielding Pragya Singh Thakur as BJP's candidate from Bhopal, who is on bail in the blast case, PM Modi asked why no such questions are being asked when Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are contesting from Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies, respectively, despite being on "bail". "One woman, that too a 'sadhvi', was humiliated in such a manner," he said in an interview to Times Now while answering a question on fielding of Ms Thakur in the Lok Sabha elections. "Samjhauta Express verdict came. What came out? Without any evidence, a rich civilization as old as 5000 years, which gave the message of 'the whole world is one'... You called such a civilization terrorist? To give a reply to all such people, this (fielding of Pragya Thakur) is a symbol and this symbol will cost the Congress dearly," the prime minister added. Pragya Singh Thakur joined the BJP on Wednesday and soon after was fielded as its candidate from Bhopal against seasoned Congress leader Digvijay Singh. "In Amethi, they (Congress) have a candidate (Rahul Gandhi) who is on bail, in Rae Bareli, they have a candidate (Sonia Gandhi) who is on bail, but there is no debate on that. But if the candidate from Bhopal is on bail, there is so much of outcry," he said and asked, "how can this (duplicity) go on?" He went on to add, "I have lived in Gujarat. I have understood the Congress's modus operandi. Like a film script, they write a script. They locate something, then bring a villain and a hero and make a film. This is their modus operandi.. It is part of that modus operandi." Because of the "same modus operandi" of the Congress, "all the encounters were presented like that (as fake).... Justice Loya died a natural death but because of this kind of modus operandi, such a case was built as if he had been murdered. On EVM issue also, they used the same modus operandi," he charged.