Agnivesh raps Modi, BJP for fielding Pragya Thakur

Swami Agnivesh has said voting for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, its candidate for the Bhopal parliamentary seat, will mean an insult to then Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare' martyrdom

Campaigning for former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress candidate Digvijaya Singh in Bhopal on Sunday, Swami Agnivesh said, if someone voted for Thakur even after her statement about Karkare than "it would be an insult to his martyrdom".

"The person (Thakur) is facing trial under terrorism Acts, but the BJP fielded her from Bhopal deliberately," said the Arya Samaj scholar and social activist.

Remarking that her very first statement was against a martyr, Swami Agnivesh said: "It indicates the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah to nominate her is wrong. They should apologise to the nation and terminate her candidature."

Sadhvi Pragya had termed Karkare's death while combating terrorists in the 2008 Mumbai attacks as a consequence of her curse. Karkare had questioned Sadhvi Pragya, lodged in the Mumbai jail, in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

If a political party or its candidate seeks vote in the name of religion and supports communal violence, he/she could not be considered a religious person or a human being," Swami Agnivesh said.

On banning burqa (a long, loose garment covering the whole body worn in public by women in many Muslim countries), he said it should be disallowed across the world.

Meanwhile, Thakur who was banned from campaigning by the Election Commission for 72 hours, begun canvassing for vote on Sunday after performing puja.

Bhopal will go to polls on May 12.