New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday suspended its party spokesperson Anil Saumitra from its primary over the controversial remark on Mahatma Gandhi. Saumitra, in a Facebook post had said that Mahatma Gandhi “ father of Pakistan”, adding that crores of people were born in India like him. “Pakistan was born with the blessings of Bapu, therefore Mahatma Gandhi can be the father of Pakistan but not of India,” Anil Saumitra had said on facebook post.
The decision comes minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi clarified his stand over Nathuram Godse controversy.
The Mahatma Gandhi-Nathuram Godse controversy started with Kamal Hassan who said that Godse was “independent India’s first Hindu terrorist”.
Since then, several leaders have jumped in to fuel the fire. On Friday, Ananth Kumar Hegde and Nalin Kateel also posted pro-Godse remark on social media. Both the tweets were, however, deleted within minutes.
Saumitra, who is the head of BJP’s media cell of Madhya Pradesh, was also asked to submit a reply within seven days over his post by the party’s state chief Rakesh Singh.