Guwahati/New Delhi: Senior Congress leader
Digvijay Singh, who created a flutter by stating that slain
Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare was under threat from
right-wing groups, today insisted that he had spoken to the
police officer a few hours before the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai
in 2008.
"I am trying to get the records and I am sure those who
are saying that I did not talk to Karkare would be proved
wrong," he told PTI.
Digvijay's remarks came following a media report which
said that call records of Karkare's cell phone showed that he
had neither called nor received a call from the Congress
general secretary during that period.
"I am absolutely firm on this. I did speak to Karkare
and I have stated that already," Digvijay said in Guwahati.
As he came under fire, Digvijay had yesterday stuck to
his stand that Karkare had spoken about threats from
right-wing groups during the telephonic conversation with him.
Digvijay had subsequently clarified that he never
doubted the role of Pakistani elements in the Mumbai attacks.
Singh also trained his guns on BJP, maintaining that the
opposition party lent its support to Hindu radical groups.
The BJP demanded that Congress force Singh to resign
from the party for his "absurd" remarks that Karkare had told
him hours before the 26/11 strike that he feared for his
safety from Hindu extremists in the wake of the Malegaon blast
probe.
Targeting BJP, Digvijay had said "I want to ask (L K)
Advaniji and Rajnathji why they went to meet the PM after
Sadhvi Pragya was arrested after the Malegaon blast. Why did
Rajnathji go to the jail to meet her? BJP has to answer these
questions before they ask some to my Prime Minister."
Asserting that he had never doubted the role of
Pakistani elements in Mumbai strikes, he said, "I also never
said that right-wing activists were behind the terror
attacks".
Trying to disassociate Congress party from the issue,
Digvijay said, "its not a Congress party issue... the issue
was a conversation between Digvijay Singh and Karkare".
Congress has distanced itself from Digvijay's
statement, saying the matter was "a conversation between two
individuals".
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said the Congress
should force Digvijay to resign.
Karkare was probing the Malegaon blast in which Hindu
terror groups were suspected and had led some BJP leaders like
Rajnath Singh to question his integrity and commitment.
-PTI
First Published: Monday, December 13, 2010, 17:51