Digvijay hits back at BJP over Karkare issue

Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who has kicked up a storm over his remarks on slain top cop Hement Karkare, on Sunday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party, maintaining that the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad chief's life was under threat and the opposition lent its support to Hindu radical groups.

"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," the Congress general secretary said in New Delhi.

The BJP slammed Singh on Saturday for his statement on Karkar's death and said it was a "serious blow" to India's fight against terror and an attempt to divert attention from scams facing the UPA.

It demanded answers from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Singh had claimed that Karkare, who he knew personally as the police officer hailed from Madhya Pradesh, had talked about a threat to his life from those opposed to his probe into the Malegaon blast in which Hindu extremists were accused of being involved.

Asserting that he had never doubted the role of Pakistani elements in 26/11 Mumbai strikes, 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 (Karkare) was being threatened by some right-wing activists."

Trying to disassociate Congress party from the issue, Singh said, "It's not a Congress party issue... the issue was a conversation between Digvijay Singh and Karkare".

On Saturday, Congress distanced itself from Digvijay's statement said the matter was "a conversation between two individuals".