BHOPAL: BJP's Bhopal MP and 2008 Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur courted fresh controversy on Wednesday by dubbing media persons as beimaan (dishonest).
A video of the saffron-clad politician laughing and calling media persons 'dishonest' at an event in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh has gone viral.
Another visual of Thakur giving Rs 500 notes to commoners (also in Sehore district) too is being shared on social media.
Netizens were quick to bring up Thakur’s 2019 poll affidavit in which she had cited “begging” as her source of income.
In the first video, the first-time parliamentarian who defeated ex-CM Digvijaya Singh in the 2019 general elections, is seen telling media persons laughingly, “Listen to what I’ve to say in your praise. The entire media of Sehore is dishonest.”
Reacting sharply to Thakur’s remarks, the state Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said that the MP's repeated remarks suggested that she had 'lost her mental balance.'
Meanwhile, state BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said, “I don’t know what she (Thakur) has said, but the party respects the media’s commitment, be it in Bhopal or elsewhere.”
Since the time the BJP fielded Thakur in the Lok Sabha polls against Digvijaya Singh from Bhopal, the politician has been endlessly making controversial remarks.
During Lok Sabha polls campaigning, she caused outrage for saying that her shraap (curse) had led to ex-Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare’s death during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.” She had once remarked that was proud to be among those who demolished the disputed structure in Ayodhya in 1992. Thakur had also dubbed Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse as a patriot.
During her visit to Sehore district in July, Thakur while addressing party workers had said that she had not become an MP to clean drains and toilets.
A few weeks back, Thakur, while addressing a condolence meeting at state BJP headquarters in Bhopal to mourn the deaths of ex-Union Minister Arun Jaitley and ex-MP CM Babulal Gaur, had blamed the opposition for using 'Marak Shakti'(killer powers) to kill BJP leaders like Jaitley, Gaur and Sushma Swaraj.