Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis ready to campaign for Sadhvi Pragya in Bhopal

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that he may campaign for Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, BJP's candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency.

In an exclusive interview to Zee Media, Fadnavis also talked about the controversial statement made by Sadhvi Pragya about 26/11 terror attack martyr Hemant Karkare and said that the statement made by Sadhvi Pragya was 100% wrong.

The Maharashtra CM added that Karkare was a very good police officer and it is possible that Sadhvi Pragya may have been angry at the torture she had faced while in custody for her alleged involvement in 2008 Malegaon blast but it is not right to say anything wrong about a martyr. Fadnavis remarked that Sadhvi Pragya has already apologized for statement and it is time that people should stop talking about it.

In an exclusive interview to Zee Media, the Maharashtra CM said that he is a worker of the party and he will go for campaigning wherever the party will ask him to go.  Fadnavis added that if the party will ask him to campaign for Sadhvi Pragya then he will follow the party's order.

When asked whether the Maharashtra government will launch a probe into the allegations of torture made by Sadhvi Pragya while in custody, chief minister Fadnavis said that probe cannot be started on the basis of statements made in media. He added that if Sadhvi Pragya will submit a written complaint in this regard then a probe will be ordered in this matter. Fadnavis noted that the government cannot launch a probe suo moto as this can be done only by court.

The fight for Bhopal Lok Sabha seat will be keenly watched because Congress has fielded its senior leader and two-time former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh from this seat. Sadhvi Pragya is still an accused in 2008 Malegaon blast case and she is currently on bail.

It is to be noted that a special NIA court on Wednesday rejected an application seeking an order to bar Sadhvi Pragya from contesting Lok Sabha poll. While hearing the petition, the special NIA court had said that it can't stop Sadhvi Pragya from contesting the election because it doesn't have any legal powers to prohibit anyone from contesting the election. The special court added that a decision in this regard should be made by Election Commission of India. The plea challenging Sadhvi Pragya's nomination was filed by the father of a man who died in 2008 Malegaon blasts.