BJP suspends Anil Saumitra for calling Mahatma Gandhi 'Father of Pakistan'

Facebook/ Anil Saumitra

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday suspended party spokesperson Anil Saumitra over his controversial social media post calling Mahatma Gandhi the father of Pakistan. He was suspended from the primary membership of the party. Taking to a Facebook post, Saumitra had said that Gandhi is the father of Pakistan. He also said that crores of people were born in India like Gandhi, though some were useful and others useless.

Madhya Pradesh BJP unit chief Rakesh Singh made the investigation. Saumitra has been asked to reply within seven days. He is the chief of the BJP media relations department.

This comes at the backdrop of several other incidents where BJP leaders have been sympathising and praising Nathuram Godse, the killer of Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

BJP Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur on Thursday waded into controversy after she hailed Godse as a patriotic (deshbhakt). Pragya was responding to Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan's remarks on Godse, which stirred controversy. "Nathuram Godse was a deshbhakt, is a deshbhakt and will remain a deshbhakt'. People calling him a terrorist should instead look within. Such people will be given a befitting reply in these elections," she said. However, she apologised later.

Kateel, an MP from Karnataka, on Thursday, compared Godse with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. "Godse killed one, Kasab killed 72, Rajiv Gandhi killed 17,000. You judge who is crueller in this??" - Kateel tweeted.

In the latest development, Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde on Friday followed their footsteps in sympathising with Godse on Twitter. Taking to Twitter, he said that he is glad that after 70 years today's generation debates in a changed perceptional environment. He added that this gives good scope for the condemned to be heard upon. Hegde also claimed that Godse would have finally felt happy with this debate. Hegde said that his account was hacked and deleted the pro-Godse tweets.