‘She’s out on bail. I never said she’s innocent’: BJP’s Nalin Kohli on Pragya Thakur’s candidature
The BJP spokesperson argued that nothing has been proven against Thakur, who faces terrorism charges in the Malegaon blast case.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s nomination of Malegaon terror-accused Pragya Thakur for the Lok Sabha constituency in Bhopal has drawn a lot of criticism from many people, including the families of the blast victims.
Some in the BJP, like national president Amit Shah defended the decision, saying the allegations against her were false. Party spokesperson Nalin Kohli echoed him when asked about the nomination on the Al Jazeera show UpFront.
Journalist Mehdi Hasan minced no words when he asked Kohli why the party was okay with someone who is on trial for terrorism standing in the parliament.
Kohli said the Congress party had framed Thakur, and they could not find “an iota of evidence” against her during her trial and the investigation against her. Getting bail from the Supreme Court, he said, was sufficient.
Hasan also questioned Kohli about the rise in communal violence under the BJP government and its anti-Muslim rhetoric. Watch the full interview below: