'Digvijay's Karkare remarks, a help to terrorists'

Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Vijay Goel today accused Congress leader Digvijay Singh of "helping Pakistani terrorists" by asserting that slain Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare spoke to him about threats from right-wing Hindu groups hours before the 26/11 terror attack.

"He is helping the Pakistani terrorists by talking in their favour. He has been untruthful and that has been proved," Goel told mediapersons, a day after the Congress leader staunchly defended his claim about having conversation with Karkare.

 "The Congress has criticised him for it and we have also slammed him. The Congress has distanced itself from him on the phone call issue," Goel said emphasising that Singh's comments had no takers within his own party.

A day after claiming to have proof of his phone talks with Karkare, Singh told the media in Guwahati on Tuesday that though he had not been able to get the phone records he stood by the remarks about threat to the police officer.

"I am not a liar, there is no need for me to lie that I had spoken to Hemant Karkare. I stand by what I said," Singh, who has recently been made party in-charge of Assam ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, said.

 The Congress general secretary said that he had a letter from the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Bhopal general manager that the BSNL cannot provide the details of my phone number as call records are kept only for 12 months.

Singh had, however, asked for the BSNL call record retrieval centre for a record of his conversation.

Dismissing as "absolutely rubbish" suggestions that he was questioning the probe in the 26/11 case or meant to say that Pakistani terrorists were not involved in the encounter of Karkare, Singh had said, "I do not have any doubt about the involvement of Pakistani terrorists in 26/11. I am satisfied with the investigations."