I did speak to Karkare, insists Digvijay Singh

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who created a flutter by stating that slain Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad chief Hemant Karkare was under threat from right-wing groups, on Monday 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 on Sunday 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 the Bharatiya Janata Party, 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, "It's 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.