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New Delhi, Dec 18: Clearly embarrassed, the Congress party on Thursday asked Union Minority Affairs Minister AR Antulay to explain the basis on which he made irresponsible remarks questioning ATS Chief Hemant Karkare’s death while fighting the Mumbai attackers.
The Congress appears to be looking to steer itself clear from the controversy by claiming that the remarks are Antulay’s personal opinion and neither the party nor the government subscribes to them.
However, he being a senior leader of the party, sources said that the Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi is in favour of disciplinary action against Antulay.
The whole controversy erupted yesterday with Antulay, while taking to reporters outside Parliament, suspected the truth behind Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare’s killing during the Mumbai attacks.
His divisive statement on such a sensitive issue sent ripples across the nation, with the Opposition seeking a clarification from none other than the Prime Minister itself.
Antualy had said, “There is more than what meets the eyes. Karkare was investigating some cases in which there are non-Muslims also,” an apparent reference to the Malegaon blasts case in which sadhvi Pragya Thakur and a Lt Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit were 11 persons to be arrested.
“Superficially speaking they (terrorists) had no reason to kill Karkare. Whether he (Karkare) was victim of terrorism or terrorism plus something. I do not know,” he added.
Reacting to Antulay’s remarks, Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi had yesterday itself dissociated the party and said that it should be treated his “personal views” and Congress party does not agree with them and does not support such a formulation.
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