Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party has said there is no need for Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil to apologise as demanded by Congress leader Digvijay Singh on the issue of the latter's phone conversation with slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare.
"Why should Patil apologise? Whatever statement he made in the Legislative Assembly, about there being no record of any such conversation between Singh and Karkare, was based on the information provided to him by the Home Department," state NCP president Madhukar Pichad said today.
"It was not as if Patil invented or fabricated something. As per the information he got at that time, there was no record (of the phone conversation)," Pichad said.
The senior NCP leader said Patil had not 'insulted'
Digvijay in any manner.
"Where is the question of apology?" he asked.
Pichad's comments came after Singh yesterday released
records of the conversation Karkare had with him on 26/11.
"People called me a liar. I was dubbed a traitor and a
Pakistani agent. It pained me that Mumbai Police made
selective leaks saying that there were no records of the talks
between me and Karkare," Singh had said yesterday.
"It was all the more painful for me when the Maharashtra
Home Minister said in the state Assembly that no such call was
made. All those who have dubbed me a liar and have put a
question mark on my honesty, sincerity and credibility should
apologise or at least express regret now when I have produced
the documents," Singh had said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, January 05, 2011, 15:58