Family first: Pragya with younger sister Pratibha, mother Sarla and brother Pushyamitra.
The otherwise tranquil capital of Madhya Pradesh came into nationwide focus when the BJP, on April 17, announced Pragya Singh Thakur—who is on bail in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case—as its candidate from the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. The BJP is trying to counter the Congress’s move of fielding party stalwart Digvijaya Singh from the seat, which the BJP has won since 1989. Madhya Pradesh BJP chief spokesperson Deepak Vijayvargiya said that Digivijaya had questioned Indian culture and Pragya has been fielded to answer these questions. “We are confident Pragya will win the polls by a margin of over 5 lakh,” he said.
What the saffron party did not bargain for were the controversies that Pragya would cause within hours of being inducted into the party and made candidate. Pragya, 49, said that 26/11 martyr Hemant Karkare was killed by terrorists because she had cursed him. Karkare, as chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad, was involved in the Malegaon case investigation. The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a notice to her about the comments, but, undeterred, Pragya accused Karkare of torturing her in custody. She also said that she was proud of being part of the mob that demolished the Babri Masjid. Acting on the directive of the ECI, on April 22, the Bhopal police filed an FIR against Pragya for this remark.
The controversial comments sent the BJP into a tizzy. A series of meetings involving senior leaders were convened and directives were issued for Pragya to refrain from making controversial statements. Her media interactions were also curtailed. The Congress, especially her opponent Digvijaya, tactfully remained low key and refrained from reacting to Pragya’s comments. But the controversy around her has only grown bigger by the day. The entire country is now keenly watching Bhopal and how it will vote on May 12.
The citizens, voters or not, have become quite edgy over their position. Senior journalist Manish Dixit said the BJP’s intention was clear. “The BJP wanted a candidate who could grab as much attention as possible, if not more than Digvijaya Singh, and also to play on polarisation of votes,” said Dixit. “She is Amit Shah’s choice. This is now an extremely tough contest.” Social activist Sachin Jain does not mince words. He said that fielding Pragya was an attempt at advanced polarisation, expansion of right-wing ideology and fanning negative and divisive politics. “But Bhopal has matured over the years and there are indications that people understand the attempts and they would think before they vote,” said Jain. “This will certainly be a test of Bhopal’s culture and attitude.”
The Congress’s position, however, seems to be more relaxed. Congress minister Govind Singh, who also hails from Pragya’s hometown of Lahar in Bhind district, said that no one had the courage to fight Digvijaya, and, hence, Pragya was made a pawn. “This is an attempt to create a communal rift, spread hatred and polarise Bhopal,” said Govind. “But she will be defeated badly. She is all about lies.”
For the hero: NCP workers protesting Pragya’s comments against 26/11 martyr Hemant Karkare | PTI
Meanwhile, the internet is awash with details about Pragya’s past. A lot of it contradictory, unverified and erroneous. THE WEEK set upon to find authentic details of Pragya’s early life and stumbled upon interesting stories—all told by people close to her. According to them, Pragya is a true nationalist, deeply religious and a social service-oriented person, who never tolerated injustice around her. But, one personality trait emerged clearly from their narration. Pragya has been aggressive, close to the point of being violent, right from an early age.
Pragya’s younger brother, Pushyamitra Singh, 39, shared an incident with THE WEEK. When he was a teenager, he had gone to the Lahar bus stand to see off Pragya. The bus was overcrowded. Pushyamitra asked two young men sitting near the door to give her a seat. They refused and verbally abused him. Pushyamitra got into an argument with them. He hit one of them and got a kick in return. “Didi (elder sister) saw this and rushed towards us. She grabbed my attacker by his hair and rammed her knee into his face, breaking his teeth,” said Pushyamitra, with obvious pride. “When the police arrived, didi warned them against any one-sided action. She said, ‘You would have to arrest everyone if you want to.’” He also described another incident where some anti-social elements who pulled at the dupatta of a girl accompanying Pragya back from college were bashed up by her.
Pragya’s brother-in-law Bhagwan Jha (husband of younger sister Pratibha) said: “She has a firm belief that no one in society should live in terror. Everyone around her knew that any victimised person could find refuge with her. The message was clear that if didi got to know of any unlawful activity, phir unki khair nahi (they were doomed).” He also said that Pragya led a 23-day agitation to get a girls’ high school in Lahar when she was a Class 6 student.Another anecdote came from a long-time friend Sharda Rathod, a BJP functionary and former corporator in Bhopal. “Pragya didi would stay at our home often when she was an ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) office bearer. I became quite close to her,” said Rathod. “She is a firebrand. I saw how she dealt with any issue on campus. Once she got to know that the principal of a government college often smoked in front of his students. She confronted him for setting a bad example and made him apologise.”
The anecdotes all bear the same stamp and go well with the known profile of Pragya as a daredevil with short hair, dressed in trousers and shirt, dhoti-kurta or pyjama-kurta (though her family said she wore the sari with elan during social events) and rode a motorcycle in a small town like Lahar three decades ago. Ironically, a motorcycle registered in her name was allegedly used in the Malegaon blast. Pragya also dealt with all who crossed her path with aggression.
But, not all anecdotes are about Pragya’s aggression. Pushyamitra also has stories that are in stark contrast with Pragya’s image as a Hindu hardliner. He said that she had a number of Muslim women associates and that his Muslim friends still miss the parathas that she used to make them. Pushyamitra hinted that some of these Muslim associates may soon be seen in Bhopal, now that Pragya is contesting.
Govind Singh has the other side to tell. Having known the family since Pragya was a school student, the minister said that she was known to be quarrelsome. “[She has a] criminal nature—something which was proven when the BJP government led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan got her arrested for a murder and kept her in jail for over two-and-a-half years,” said Govind. “It was only when the NDA government came to power in 2014 that she was acquitted for lack of evidence. But the court made observations that the police had failed to put up proper evidence in the case.”
PRAGYA SINGH THAKUR
BORN: Feb 2, 1970 (not 1988, as social media rumours go)
FATHER: Chandrapal Singh Thakur (deceased); government employee turned ayurveda practitioner and RSS functionary. MOTHER: Sarla Singh
SIBLINGS: An elder sister, Upma. Two younger sisters—Uttama and Pratibha. The youngest child is brother Pushyamitra
EDUCATION: In Lahar, Bhind, until graduation. MA in history from Gwalior. Gifted orator from a young age
JOINED and became an office bearer of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad; later rose to the rank of city organising secretary (Ujjain). Quit in 1998
DIKSHA from Swami Avadheshanand Giri in 2007. Name: Sadhvi Poornachetananand Giri. Known as Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur
BEGAN Jai Vandemataram Samiti. Allegedly involved in ‘getting back’ girls who eloped with boys from other communities
ARRESTED in the Malegaon bomb blast case in 2008. Got bail in April 2017 on ‘health grounds’