‘Imagine if I had fielded terror accused’: Mehbooba Mufti on BJP giving ticket to Pragya Singh Thakur

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti has slammed the ruling BJP for fielding Malegaon terror attack accused Pragya Singh Thakur from Bhopal. Reacting to the shocking move by the BJP, Mufti said that had she fielded a terror accused, channels would have gone berserk.

"Imagine the anger if I’d field a terror accused. Channels would’ve gone berserk by now trending a mehboobaterrorist hashtag! According to these guys terror has no religion when it comes to saffron fanatics but otherwise all Muslims are terrorists. Guilty until proven innocent," Mufti wrote on Twitter.

Narendra Modi-led BJP's move to field Pragya Thakur, who is facing charges of terrorism udner the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, was critcised by the Opposition and prominent personalities. Boolywood actress Swara Bhasker, known for openly expressing her views, said that the BJP's agenda of "hate and divisiveness" has come out in open.

"Latest addition to our scintillating list of MP contestants: a potential terrorist.. Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya.. BJP absolutely naked in its agenda of hate and divisiveness..” Swara Bhasker wrote on Twitter.

In a terse reaction, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "What else can we expect from the BJP." When asked further by reporters, Azad said it was the BJP's decision and he did not want to speak more, an indication of the Congress' tactic to not join the issue with the BJP on its aggressive Hindutva plank.

Several BJP leaders hailed the decision, with its president Amit Shah dubbing former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh, who is the Congress' candidate from Bhopal, as the "creator of saffron terror" phase and asserting that his party decided to take the matter to "people's court" by fielding Thakur against him.