In a firm and decisive blow to the UPA era myth of “Hindu terror”, Sadhvi Pragya, a BJP MP from Bhopal has been nominated to the 21-member parliamentary consultative committee on defence headed by the Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh. This has unsurprisingly enraged the left-liberal brigade and the propagators of the ‘Hindu terror’ myth who have now gone up in arms against her nomination to the Defence Ministry panel.
This move actually comes as a major setback for the entire left-liberal ecosystem that has been trying to paint Sadhvi Pragya as a terrorist despite failing to prove their charge, in their relentless pursuit to propagate the ‘Hindu terror’ myth. Sadhvi Pragya was one of the persons to be accused of Malegaon blasts in 2008 that was caused by LML Freedom motorcycle with explosives concealed inside. The investigation by Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) led the ownership of the motorcycle to Sadhvi Pragya. However, the fact that she had sold the bike four years ago was overlooked, Congress went on to accuse the Sadhvi by coining terms such as “saffron terror” and “Hindutva terror”. Sadhvi Pragya, before being formally arrested was brutally tortured in illegal police custody for 23 days at the pretext of being interrogated by the ATS.
Recounting her horrific treatment, Sadhvi Pragya said, “I was beaten severely with a belt on my hands, forearms, palms, feet, soles, causing me bruises, swelling, and contusions in these areas. I was hung upside down, and they kept on beating me until I fainted. In addition, I was subject to vulgar abuse and obscene language by members of the ATS team interrogating me. My Guru was abused and my chastity was questioned. I was physically and verbally traumatised to the extent that I wanted to commit suicide. As a result of the custodial violence/torture, mental stress, anxiety that were developed in the process, I was subjected to, I developed acute abdominal and kidney pains. I lost my appetite, became nauseous and giddy and prone to having bouts of unconsciousness.”
A series of psychological profiling, brain mapping and polygraph test were also conducted against her, but they yielded no results. The ruling party at that time then chose to conduct narcotics tests which again came out to be negative. The tests, which were conducted before her formal arrest and without her lawful consent, conclusively established that she was being truthful as to her non-involvement in the terror attack. Nevertheless, she was arrested. After 9 years of being imprisoned without evidence, she was released in 2017 when the High Court held, “There was no prima facie case against her.” This single observation reveals how fake and pre-mature theories of ‘Hindu terror’ were formulated, with Sadhvi Pragya at the centre of the entire narrative.
What further reveals the untruthfulness of the allegations made against the BJP MP is the fact that the NIA had replied to a plea that involved a request to bar of Sadhvi Pragya from contesting Lok Sabha elections earlier this year. The NIA said that there were not enough evidences to prosecute her. NIA had stated, “It (whether she can contest) can be decided by the EC only.” The premier probe agency had further noted, “It was pertinent to mention that in the supplementary chargesheet dated May 13, 2016, NIA has recommended the prosecution against 10 accused….and recommended the evidences against Pragya and…(five other) were not found sufficient and such prosecution against them was not maintainable.”
In what further weakened the charges framed against her, Sadhvi Pragya was also acquitted in the murder case of former RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi. The case had been taken over by the NIA, which was investigating the Malegaon and Samjhauta bomb blast cases in which Sadhvi Pragya was accused among others, in 2011 on the ground of allegations that it was linked to the larger ‘saffron terror’ conspiracy. Her acquittal in this case therefore came as a severe blow to the fake ‘saffron terror’ narrative. It has also made the veracity of the pending UAPA charges against her rather doubtful.
Sadhvi Pragya won the Lok Sabha elections from Bhopal earlier this year by a huge margin of 3.6 lakh votes. With she did not only win a political battle, but was vindicated after being victimised for more than a decade. It is not merely incidental that she defeated Digvijaya Singh, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and the Congress leader at the forefront of the ‘Hindu terror’ myth. The sheer margin of her victory shows that the popular sentiment turned in her favour, backed by a huge sympathy wave. The fact that she faced a leader who popularised the ‘Saffron terror’ myth only made her more popular with the electorate.
The liberal brigade is also crying foul about her ‘Godse’ remark. The Wire, a pseudo-liberal portal tweeted, “PM Narendra Modi said he couldn’t forgive Pragya Singh Thakur after she termed Nathuram Godse a ‘patriot’. She has now been nominated to the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Defence.”
Prashant Bhsuhan has also endorsed this point of view. He tweeted, “Pragya Thakur Nominated to Parliamentary Panel on Defence. Modi said he couldn’t forgive the Malegaon blasts case accused after she termed Nathuram Godse a ‘patriot’. But of course a terror accused is the most suitable person for deciding country’s defence.”
It ought to be kept in mind that unlike those organisations which peddled the falsehood of ‘Hindu terror’, the top leadership of the BJP doesn’t believe in getting vindictive and settling scores with its own party leaders over political differences. Moreover, Sadhvi Pragya had apologised for her remark. But what about the propagators of the ‘Saffron terror’ myth whose lies have been exposed. Even after failing to produce any reasonable proof to back their claim, they have not only failed to apologise but they also seem to have stood firm on their stand.
PM Narendra Modi said he couldn't forgive Pragya Singh Thakur after she termed Nathuram Godse a 'patriot'.
She has now been nominated to the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Defence.https://t.co/uV9hR01nd5
— The Wire (@thewire_in) November 21, 2019
Pragya Thakur Nominated to Parliamentary Panel on Defence.
Modi said he couldn't forgive the Malegaon blasts case accused after she termed Nathuram Godse a 'patriot'. But of course a terror accused is the most suitable person for deciding country's defence https://t.co/QmUKuoQNXc— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) November 21, 2019
Today, the liberal brigade can cry foul. After all, it is not Sadhvi Pragya whom they hate, they hate the saffron on her. With her nomination to the high level defence committee, Sadhvi Pragya has been vindicated. Alongwith this, the ‘Saffron terror’ narrative, a legacy of the UPA era has been largely shattered and this is hurting the liberal cabal in a big way.
