Advani jumps to Sadhvi Pragya’s defence

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 3:11 am

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (November 18) accused Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) of acting in a politically motivated and unprofessional manner in the Malegaon blast case and meting out “barbaric treatment” to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and demanded a change in the team probing the incident.

“It has become clear that the ATS is acting in a politically-motivated and unprofessional manner. After going through her (Sadhvi Pragya) affidavit, I have to express my shock and outrage which I am sure all Indians will share,” BJP leader L K Advani said during his one-day tour of the poll-bound BJP-ruled Chattisgarh state on Tuesday.

The NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate demanded a change in the investigating team and a judicial inquiry into allegations of torture made by Sadhvi against ATS. “In view of the shocking charges made against the ATS by the Sadhvi and the fact that the present investigating team has lost all moral authority, I demand a change in the present ATS team and a judicial inquiry be ordered to probe the charges made by Pragya and the manner in which unsubstantiated allegations have been made against army personnel,” he said.

Advani said, “So far, I had refrained from commenting on the allegations leveled by the Maharashtra ATS against Sadhvi Pragya and her supposed associates but after going through her affidavit detailing how she was physically and psychologically tortured and abused in obscene languages by her interrogators, I have to express my shock and outrage”. “I cannot believe that such barbaric treatment has been meted out to a spiritual person, that too, a woman in a country that prides itself on its democracy and rule of law”, he added.

Meanwhile, Advani charged the ATS of working in a politically and unprofessional manner while dealing with Pragya’s case. The former Deputy Prime Minister said the judicial probe should cover the manner in which “unsubstantiated” allegations were also levelled against the Army personnel.

“It is incredible that the Sadhvi was kept in illegal detention for two weeks and tortured in a vicious manner which led to her hospitalisation. Polygraph and narco analysis tests were conducted without her consent. Not even a female constable was present during her illegal detention,” he said. The BJP leader said he had refrained from commenting on the allegations levelled by the ATS against the Sadhvi and her supposed associates but was shocked after going through her affidavit.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janshakti President Uma Bharti demanded that Advani take up the issue of Sadhvi with the prime minister and union home minister. “If the Sadhvi is being tortured by the ATS then it is a serious issue and I advise Advani to immediately take up the matter with the prime minister and the union home minister in his capacity as the Leader of Opposition,” Bharti told reporters.

When asked about her reported remark that her party was planning to field Pragya against Congress president Sonia Gandhi, she said that since the beginning she was saying that she would not use her (Sadhvi) politically. Bharti said that in case she was proved innocent and if she has the desire to contest the polls then her party would field her against Gandhi.

Referring to the BJP’s manifesto, she said that instead they should bring out a “clarification statement” on the issues of corruption, commission, not bringing Narmada water, power crisis and atrocities against women. She also advised Congress to come out with a “guarantee letter” instead of manifesto that it will not repeat the mistakes of its 10 years of misrule before 2003.

However, she said that her party will bring out manifesto of the people which she will release in Indore on November 21, while the state party president Ashok Tripathi will release it in the state capital.

(With inputs from agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Advani jumps to Sadhvi Pragya’s defence

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