Tumakuru: Karnataka BJP has expelled its Tumakuru district youth wing president TH Hanumantharaju from the party's primary membership for a post praising Nathuram Godse on the social media.

"For your post on social media praising Nathuram Godse, you have not only been removed from the post of Yuva Morcha district president, but also expelled from the primary membership of the party," the expulsion order signed by state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa, addressed to TH Hanumantharaju read.

The social media post of Hanumantharaju shared by BJP to the media shows the picture of Godse and a vessel that supposedly contains his ashes decorated with flowers next to it.

The message with the picture calling Godse a "great patriot" says his ashes have still not been immersed in the Sindhu river.

Hanumantharaju is not the first in the saffron party to face the ire of the party leadership for praising Godse.

Earlier, BJP candidate Pragya Singh Thakur too had stirred a controversy by calling Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, a true patriot.

During a roadshow in Madhya Pradesh on May 16, Thakur had said, “Godse was a patriot, is a patriot, and would remain a patriot and those who call him a terrorist should look within, they will get a reply in this election.”

She later apologised for her statement.

She was responding to a comment by actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, who had said "free India's first extremist was a Hindu" remark, referring to Godse.