Amid protests in parts of the country over the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad made by now suspended Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma, party's Bhopal MP Pragya Singh Thakur has supported her, saying that if anybody insults Hindu deities, then such people would be told the "truth".
After Thakur's comments made in Bhopal on Friday, the opposition Congress in Madhya Pradesh sought a clarification from the BJP as it pointed out that while the party has suspended Sharma over her remarks, the Lok Sabha member has now supported her.
Talking to reporters, Thakur on Friday said, "This is true that there (Gyanvapi) was a temple of Lord Shiva. It is there and it will be there. Calling it a fountain is wrong. Our deities are sanatan. If you insult them, we will also tell the truth. You tell our truth and it will be accepted by us. But why does it pain you when we tell the truth? This means somewhere history is dirty."
Asked about the threat calls that Sharma allegedly received following her remarks, Thakur said 'vidharmis' were always involved in such activities, as they had also killed Kamlesh Tiwari (a Hindu outfit leader in Lucknow) in 2019.
"If someone talks, they threaten. They make, produce and direct movies on our deities. They have been abusing them (deities) by making (such) movies for a long time. There is a long communist history...India belongs to Hindus. Sanatan will continue to live and it is our responsibility," she said.
Replying to a question, she said, "Vidharmis give statements. How can we tolerate the insult of our gods and goddesses?"
Reacting to Thakur's statement, Madhya Pradesh Congress's media department chairman K K Mishra said, "BJP has suspended Nupur Sharma and sought a public apology. But now, the BJP's Lok Sabha member is issuing a statement in Sharma's favour. BJP should clarify if Sharma's statement was a planned conspiracy?"
Mishra said that the BJP should also clarify if it would take action against Thakur for standing with the suspended leader.
The BJP on Sunday suspended Sharma and Naveen Jindal, a former head of the Delhi BJP's media unit, after their derogatory comments on the Prophet sparked a huge furore including in the Arab world.