I have got records, I did speak to Karkare: Digvijay

GUWAHATI/NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who created a flutter by stating that slain Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare was under threat from right-wing groups, today insisted that he has spoken to the police officer a few hours before the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in 2008 and he has proof of this.

"I have got records for that. Absolutely, I am firm on this. I did speak to him and I have stated that already," he told reporters in Guwahati.

"I am sure those who are saying that I did not talk to Karkare would be proved wrong," he later said.

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.

As he came under fire, Digvijay had yesterday 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 BJP, 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, "its 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.