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Journalism of Courage
Targetting BJP for fielding Sadhvi Pragya from the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency seat, Congress leader P C Chacko said separatist leader Yasin Malik should be ‘appreciated’ for the ‘courage’ he has shown in front of the government, ANI reported. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik is in judicial custody till May 24 in connection with a terror funding case.
Adding that he doesn’t support Malik’s ideology or his actions, Chacko was quoted by ANI as saying, “If Pragya Singh Thakur, a convicted person, an accused person, can contest an election, and in the name of separatism, Delhi is asking him (Yasin Malik) at gunpoint to surrender, anyone with self-respect will react the way.”
The Delhi Congress chief also added, “The courage he has shown is something which should be appreciated because New Delhi cannot threaten anybody, India is a democracy.”
BJP has been at the receiving end of criticism for fielding Sadhvi Pragya from Bhopal, who is an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case.
Defending the decision, BJP National Secretary Ram Madhav said Thakur was the ‘right challenger’ for Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who he accused of ‘propagating the dubious and mischievous idea of Hindu terror’.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had also used Sadhvi Pragya’s example while appealing to the Centre to release Yasin Malik due to his ailing health. “Sadhvi Pragya on whom there are several serious accusations has been set free. Also, other members of Jamaat-e-Islami should be released,” she had said.
EXPLAINED | The case against BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya
Malik, whose organisation JKLF was banned last month by the Centre, is also facing two CBI cases. These relate to the kidnapping of Rubaiya Saeed, daughter of the then Union home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, in 1989, and the killing of four IAF personnel in 1990.
