New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh has stepped in to ensure that one of its proteges, terror accused Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, does not cause further embarrassment to the BJP. The Sangh has decided to appoint a new team of advisors and associates to assist the Bhopal MP with her Parliamentary work while throwing out her old coterie.
The move comes on the back of Thakur’s dismal performance in the 54-day Budget Session of Parliament. She didn’t ask any question regarding her constituency during Question Hour and raised just four issues during Zero Hour, none of which had to do with Bhopal.
In fact, she was reprimanded by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on one of the issues she raised — Thakur had objected, during Zero Hour, to MPs smoking inside the Parliament premises prompting Birla to tell her that the session was for issues related to public interest. He then asked Thakur to meet him in person to discuss the smoking issue.
Sources told ThePrint that the new team will assist Thakur in her Parliamentary work such as preparing questions and advising her on the issues to be raised in the House. The new inner circle will completely comprise RSS members, they said. The team will also ensure that Thakur does not make unwanted statements, for which she had landed in controversies more than once during the Lok Sabha election campaign.
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‘Focus will be on the development of Bhopal’
A reliable source told ThePrint that both the RSS and the BJP are disappointed by Thakur’s Lok Sabha performance and now want her to focus on issues related to the development of Bhopal. The new team will help Thakur raise the demands of people in the right fora while she is also expected to meet central cabinet ministers and talk with them about issues concerning her constituency.
Thakur has been associated with the RSS from the very beginning of her career. She was in fact handpicked by the Sangh to take on former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh at Bhopal.
The RSS had sought a candidate belonging to its ideological core who is also capable of constantly attacking Singh. Even if Digvijay Singh had contested from his home constituency of Raghogarh instead of Bhopal, the RSS would have likely fielded Pragya Thakur against him.
The rationale in the Sangh was that such a candidate would effectively counter claims by Congress leaders such as Singh on the issue of Hindu terrorism and the Malegaon bomb blast.
Worried about giving the opposition fodder to attack her over her lacklustre performance in the Lok Sabha, the RSS is now overhauling the staff attached with her.
As of now, Thakur is assisted by her elder sister Upma and an associate Kalpana, who accompanies her all the time, whether in Delhi or Bhopal.
“Sadhvi Pragya is unwell these days. The issues she will raise in the forthcoming session are discussed by her team in detail continuously,” Kalpana told ThePrint.
On changes to Thakur’s team, Kalpana said, “People leaving the team and new people joining the team is part of a process. Who is involved in making these decisions, who will come and go, is not something I am privy to.”
The duo is under the scanner themselves as they had been helping with her parliamentary duties too. Since both have very little knowledge of parliamentary procedures and practice, Sadhvi’s performance suffered. Sources said that this is a reason that the Sangh wants to give her a new team.
The changes are already underway.
Thakur had appointed a researcher, Pushparaj, to take care of her parliamentary research work. He has been removed now.
Also gone is Umesh Srivastava, Thakur’s long-time personal security officer and who used to also keep her calendar.
An important member of Thakur’s team, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint, “Changes are being made to her team. Now from parliamentary questions to her statements — everything will be monitored so that Sadhvi doesn’t get embroiled in any controversy.”
Purushottam Namdev, who works in Thakur’s Bhopal office, said he was recently appointed. “I do not know who does what in the Delhi and Bhopal office (of Pragya),” he said.
Courting controversy
Since the BJP fielded her from Bhopal during the Lok Sabha elections, Thakur has been embroiled in a slew of controversies. During the election campaign, she had certified Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, as a true patriot.
She then controversially targetted former Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) head Hemant Karkare who was killed while facing the terrorists during the Mumbai attacks.
Pragya had said she had cursed Karkare while he was interrogating her for her alleged involvement in the Malegaon blast case. She had also received an Election Commission notice for saying that she was proud of the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya and calling for a grand Ram temple at the disputed site.
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