BJP pushed to corner, Cong furious as Godse centre of debate on last day of campaigning

New Delhi, May 17 As campaigning for the 2019 general elections wound down on Friday, the BJP was pushed into a corner and compelled to ask three of its leaders to clarify their remarks on Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse, as the Congress questioned the prime minister's silence on the row.

The Pandora's box opened on Thursday with BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate and Malegaon blast blamed Pragya Singh Thakur commending Godse as a "loyalist" and issuing an apology hours later saying she respected Gandhi and his work for the nation can't be forgotten.

As discussion seethed on the most recent day of battling, BJP president Amit Shah said the gathering has taken genuine note of the announcements from Union pastor Anantkumar Hegde, Pragya Thakur and its Karnataka MP Nalin Kumar Kateel.

Stating that the remarks were against the party's ideology, Shah asked the party's disciplinary committee to submit a report on the issue in 10 days for further action.

"They have withdrawn their statements and also apologised. However, their comments are against the decency of open life and the BJP and furthermore against the gathering's belief system. Taking genuine note of their comments, the gathering has chosen to send them to the disciplinary committee," Shah said on Twitter.

The party went into damage control, sensing the remarks by the three could hurt the party's picture and its poll prospects in the last 59 seats that vote on Sunday. Throughout the most recent year or something like that, the BJP has been advancing itself as a torchbearer of Gandhi's standards and inheritance, which has for quite some time been the Congress area.

Congress leader Kapil Sibal questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's quiet on Pragya's comments and said he can appeal to God for the nation.

In a tweet, Sibal stated, "When Sadhvi Pragya says: 'Godse a Deshbakht' and Modi is quiet with Vidyasagar's statue a casualty of the brutal I can petition God for my nation and expectation that one day the quiet lion's share will keep savagery under control."

His party colleague, former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, stepped into the discussion to state Godse,who killed the father of the nation in January 1948, was inspired by RSS ideology.

"Godse was inspired by Sangh Pariwar's belief system and so is Pragya. Former killed our Mahatma and the latter killed Mahatma's kids. Pragya who calls Godse a loyalist is embraced by @narendramodi Is this the indication of an endeavor to multiply Sangh's contempt based belief system," he tweeted.

As the row over Thakur's comments escalated, BJP's MP from Karnataka Nalin Kumar Kateel contrasted Godse and previous PM Rajiv Gandhi

"Godse executed one, Kasab murdered 72, Rajiv Gandhi slaughtered 17,000. You judge who is increasingly barbarous in this??" Kateel tweeted on Thursday, equating Godse, 26/11 convict Ajmal Kasab and Rajiv Gandhi.

Union minister Hegde, who also found himself in the news with a purported tweet justifying Godse's action, claimed his account was hacked.

"My Twitter account has been breached twice in the previous multi week and certain tweets have been posted on my course of events which has been disposed of and erased. Lament the presents credited on me."

"My account was hacked since yesterday. There is no doubt of legitimizing Gandhi ji's murder. There can be no sympathy or justification of Gandhi ji's murder. We as a whole have full regard for Gandhi ji's commitment to the country," he posted.

Prior, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) originator Kamal Haasan fed debate saying "free India's first fanatic was a Hindu", alluding to Godse.

"Dear MNM family and fans, this is an acid test for our etiquette and manner. Try not to tune in to their clamors and be drawn into their viciousness," the entertainer government official said in the midst of episodes, for example, throwing of stones and footwear amid his bypoll campaign in Chennai.

Campaigning for India's seven-phase elections ends on Friday evening. The last day of polling is May 19 and the votes will be counted on May 23.