Godse not a terrorist, committed a mistake: BJP MLA

Amid BJP’s attempt to distance itself from MP Pragya Thakur’s comment in praise of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, a party MLA here said that Nathuram Godse committed a mistake but he was not a terrorist.

"Godse was not a terrorist. Those who are involved in anti-national activities are terrorists," Ballia MLA Surendra Singh told reporters on Thursday.

“Godse committed a mistake. He should have not killed patriot Gandhi ji," he added, using the Hindi word "bhool" for "mistake".

When asked whether Godse was a patriot, the MLA did not reply.

Thakur created a controversy on Wednesday with her remark in the Lok Sabha during DMK member A Raja's narration of a statement by Nathuram Godse before a court on why he killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Amid opposition protests over the comment, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said in the Lok Sabha that his party condemns any philosophy which describes Mahatma Gandhi's killer as a patriot.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has also barred Thakur from attending its parliamentary party meeting in the current Parliament session and removed her from the consultative committee on defence.

"The statement given by MP Pragya Thakur is condemnable. BJP never supports such statement and we do not support this ideology,” BJP working president J P Nadda told reporters.

Uttar Pradesh MLA Surendra Singh has made controversial remarks in the past as well.