An Indian election candidate for prime minister Narendra Modi's party, already accused of involvement in a deadly bomb attack, sparked outrage on Thursday (16) by saying the killer of independence hero Mahatma Gandhi was a "patriot".
The comments by firebrand monk Pragya Singh Thakur came as the country heads into the final round of its marathon election this weekend.
Thakur set off her latest political firestorm by telling journalists that Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse "was, is, and will remain a patriot".
"People who call him a terrorist should search their soul. They will get the answers this election," she added.
Gandhi was slain in 1948 by Godse, a Hindu fanatic angered by what he saw as Gandhi's pandering to Muslims and by the partition of India after independence in 1947.
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party astounded many observers last month when it named Thakur as its parliamentary candidate in the Madhya Pradesh state capital of Bhopal.
Critics accused the right wing party of using Thakur to polarise voters along religious lines.
Thakur was arrested shortly after a 2008 bomb blast near a mosque in Melegaon, Maharashtra state, that killed six people and injured 100.
Thakur was released on bail in 2017 but still faces a criminal prosecution.
Indian law allows candidates facing court cases to run in an election until a conviction.
The opposition Congress party, which Gandhi once led, condemned the remarks, with spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala saying that Thakur had "insulted the entire country".
"The BJP's violent face has been revealed. Once again, the people from BJP are attacking the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi," he added.
A BJP spokesman said the party did not agree with Thakur's comments and would ask her to publicly apologise, media reports said.
Modi is seeking a second term as prime minister in the election but faces a tough challenge from Congress. The seventh and final round of voting is on Sunday and results will be announced four days later.
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)