Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said that BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur’s remarks at a function meeting in Karnataka’s Shivamogga were a clear example of hate speech and that he would take action against her in the Supreme Court. Ramesh said he would file a case against Thakur in the Supreme Court as the Karnataka police would not act against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP. Karnataka is currently ruled by the BJP and parliamentary polls are due in the state early next year.
“BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur’s remarks in Karnataka are a clear example of hate speech and I would file a case against her in the Supreme Court for such remarks,” the former Union minister told. He said Thakur’s remarks clearly sought to divide the society, while he claimed that the local police would not take action against her as the BJP is in power in the southern state.
Thakur said Hindus have the right to respond to those who attack them and their dignity as she spoke about the killing of Hindu activists. She also urged Hindus to at least keep knives sharp in their homes as everyone has the right to protect themselves.
Addressing the annual convention of the Hindu Jagarana Vedika in the southern region at Shivamogga on Sunday, the BJP MP from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh told the gathering to give a befitting reply to anyone who “enters our house”. “Hide weapons in your homes. If nothing else, at least keep the knives used to cut vegetables sharp…. I don’t know what the situation will be if… Everyone has the right to self-defense. If someone breaks into our house and attacks us, we have the right to a suitable response,” she said.
“I love jihad. They have a tradition of jihad. If nothing else, they love jihad. Even if they love, they do Jihad in it. We (Hindus) also love, we love god, a sanyasi loves his god,” Thakur said. She also said at the ceremony, “The sannyasi says that in this world created by god, put an end to all oppressors and sinners. If not, the true definition of love will not survive here. So respond to those involved in love jihad in the same way. Protect your girls, teach them the right values.”
