Oppn behind recent death of BJP leaders, says Sadhvi Pragya

Bhopal: BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur on Monday said the Opposition is using a 'marak shakti' (killing power) to harm BJP leaders, adding the 'evil power' was behind the recent deaths of former Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj.

BJP veteran Arun Jaitley died on August 24 and Swaraj on August 6.

"While I was contesting (Lok Sabha) elections, a Maharaj Ji told me that bad times are upon us and Opposition is up to something using some 'marak shakti' against BJP. I later forgot what he said but now when I see our top leaders leaving us one by one, I am forced to think, wasn't Maharaj ji right?" the BJP MP said.

She was addressing a condolence meeting at the state BJP office to pay tributes to Jaitley and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Babulal Gaur. The latter died on August 20.

Pragya said she forgot what the Maharaj told her as she was in a crowd and moving.

"But now, when I see our top leaders Sushma ji, Babulal ji, Jaitley ji leaving us one by one after undergoing pain, I am forced to think, wasn't it (what Maharaj said) right? It is true that our leadership is leaving us untimely," the BJP MP, not a stranger to controversial remarks, said.

She refused to talk on this issue when reporters asked about her remarks.

Pragya, who defeated Congress leader Digvijaya Singh from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, has made many such controversial remarks and had to apologise for some of them.

She was issued a show cause notice by the BJP ahead of the elections for calling Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse a patriot.

Pragya had also claimed that the then Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare was killed in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks due to her "curse".