After facing backlash for making Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur the BJP candidate for Bhopal, the decision to field Malegaon blast accused was defended by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
In an interview to the Hindustan Times, Fadnavis said that the move is a befitting reply to those who insulted Hindus by coining the term, Hindu terrorism. He also added that Thakur should not have made the remarks against Hemant Karkare, who gave his life for the country.
In the interview, Fadnavis said, “We are relying on the probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Their investigation says there is no evidence against her. This is a made-up, cooked-up issue. On that basis, the party took a decision to give her the ticket.”