Senior Congress leader and party general secretary Digvijay Singh on Sunday stood by his remarks that the slain Maharastra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare's life was under threat from right-wing groups, but clarified that he never doubted the role of Pakistani elements in the Mumbai 26/11 attacks.
Mr. Singh also trained his guns on the Bharatiya Janata Party, maintaining that the Opposition party lent its support to Hindu radical groups.
The BJP demanded that the Congress force Mr. Singh to resign from the party for his “absurd” remarks, that Mr. Karkare had told him hours before the 26/11 attacks that he feared threat from Hindu extremists in the wake of the Malegaon blast probe.
Calling the remarks “stupid and idiotic,” senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said the comments would only “please” Pakistan.
Targeting the BJP, Mr. Singh said: “I want to ask [L.K.] Advaniji and Rajnathji [Rajnath Singh] why they went to meet the Prime Minister after Sadhvi Pragnya was arrested after the Malegaon blast. Why did Rajnathji go to the jail to meet her? The BJP has to answer these questions before they ask some to my Prime Minister.”
Asserting that he never doubted the role of Pakistani elements in the Mumbai attacks, he said: “I also never said that right-wing activists were behind the terror attacks. But it is a fact that I am on record saying that he [Mr. Karkare] was being threatened by some right-wing activists.”
‘Not a party issue'
Mr. Singh added: “It is not a Congress party issue…the issue was a conversation between Digvijay Singh and Karkare.”
On Saturday, the Congress distanced itself from his statement, saying the matter was “a conversation between two individuals.” Party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said it was for Mr. Singh to elaborate, or to confirm or deny.
