Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur was elected in the national polls this year
Highlights
- Pragya Thakur is an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts
- Earlier too, she has made a series of controversial statements
- Her latest comment has again drawn sharp reactions from rival parties
Pragya Singh Thakur, a first-time BJP parliamentarian from Madhya Pradesh, was admonished today by her party for her comment that she "wasn't elected to get drains and toilets cleaned". Sources say BJP's working president JP Nadda disapproved of the comments and told the controversial politician to refrain from such utterances.
Speaking to BJP workers at Sehore, which comes under her parliamentary constituency of Bhopal, Pragya Thakur had said: "We haven't been elected to clean your drains, ok? We haven't been elected to clean your toilets, please understand. The work for which I have been elected, I will do honestly, I have said that before and I will say it again."
Many saw the statement as arrogant and at odds with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan" or clean India mission.
"It is the duty of a Member of Parliament to work in coordination with local public representatives, including local MLAs (legislators) and municipal councillors for the overall development of the constituency... Get your local issues and work done through the local representatives instead of calling me on my phone every now and then," Pragya Thakur told party workers.
The 49-year-old was reportedly responding to a BJP worker complaining about the lack of hygiene and cleanliness in his area.
While campaigning for the national election, the saffron-robed politician, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, had made a series of controversial statements like describing Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as a patriot.
Her comments infuriated PM Modi, who said he would "never be able to forgive" the lawmaker for the man who killed Gandhi.