Congress still in dilemma over Antulay’s fate

The confusion prevailing in the Congress party over the Antulay controversy was underlined by surprise support for the beleaguered Minority Affairs Minister from one of the party general secretaries Digvijay Singh.

The confusion prevailing in the Congress party over the Antulay controversy was underlined by surprise support for the beleaguered Minority Affairs Minister from one of the party general secretaries Digvijay Singh who saw nothing objectionable in his stand questioning the circumstances surrounding the killing of Maharashtra ATS Chief Hemant Karkare.

Singh’s remarks in Varanasi at a press conference came on a day when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi grappled with the mess arising out of A R Antulay that has created a political storm and the Opposition for his removal from the Cabinet.

“Antulay has been misreported. What he has asked for is a probe which is already on. What is objectionable in his statement,” he said.

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Singh said the BJP, VHP and RSS had raised doubts about the integrity of Karkare because he was investigating the Malegaon blasts in which Hindus were arrested.

Against this backdrop, Karkare was killed in the terrorist attack in Mumbai and it was ‘natural’ to think that whether he was murdered.

“But this possibility appears to be low because the course of events minimises it. Antulay has said the matter should be investigated that who ordered him (Karkare) to go there. What is objectionable in that,” Singh said.

The Congress, however, had in the last two days distanced itself from Antulay’s remarks saying they were his personal views.

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The meeting of the Congress Core Group including the Prime Minister and the party president to resolve the situation ended without a decision and the government’s position is expected to be made clear in Parliament before it winds up business for the session on December 23.

The hour-long meeting of the Congress Core Group at the residence of the Prime Minister is believed to have gone into the pros and cons of the matter but there was no official word on whether his resignation was being accepted.

Opposition BJP and Shiv Sena having been gunning for Antulay’s removal from the Cabinet accusing him of compromising the country’s position vis a vis terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil.

“No decision has been taken. The position will be made clear in the session of Parliament concluding on December 23,” said a senior leader who declined to be identified.