Partylines blur as House split on Antulay

Antulay had demanded to know on 8220;whose direction did Karkare and two other police officers go towards the Cama Hospital8221;, when Mumbai was hit by terror attacks on November 26.

Samajwadi Party MP Janeshwar Mishra said, 8220;It would have been better if Antulay had avoided the statement in the present circumstances.8221;

Congress MP from Murshidabad Abdul Mannan Hossain added, 8220;Karkare died to a terrorist8217;s bullet. When the world opinion is united against terror, it8217;s not appropriate to raise this kind of demand at this time.8221;

However, Congress MP from East Delhi, Sandeep Dikshit, countered this, 8220;If he had raised the issue, say, one year down the line, questions would have been raised about the timing even then. Like the US instituted a full-scale inquiry after the attack on the WTC towers, there should be a comprehensive inquiry, covering all aspects, here as well,8221; he said.

While Congress MPs G Nizamuddin, Abu Hasem Khan Choudhary, and Anwar Hussain said that Karkare fell to terrorists8217; bullets and this wasn8217;t an appropriate time to raise questions on it, party MPs Furkan Ansari and Aaron Rashid J M agreed with Antulay8217;s observations.

They had a supporter in JDU MP Shivanand Tiwari. 8220;This is not about Antulay alone. This concerns the country8217;s Muslims. You have to go through Urdu newspapers to understand this. How can anyone be prevented from raising questions in a democracy? As for the BJP, ours is not an ideological alliance, but only an electoral alliance,8221; he said.

BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain had no clear answers when asked about an NDA constituent backing Antulay. 8220;Antulay has become a hero in the Pakistani media. We8217;ll settle for nothing less than his resignation,8221; he said.

Antulay also found support from one of his Cabinet colleagues. Minister of State for Human resources and Development Mohd Ali A Fatmi said: 8220;Had someone not misguided them, Karkare and others could have been saved. He was an asset for the nation. I won8217;t go into the timing bit at all.8221;

Nominated Rajya Sabha member Shyam Benegal differed with this view: 8220;If Antulay had a serious doubt, he could have brought it up in the Union Cabinet instead of going to the media.8221;

BSP MP Iliyas Azmi had his own take on the issue. 8220;Reportedly the assassins were speaking in Marathi. I don8217;t think that people in Pakistan speak Marathi. Some Marathi-speaking people can, however, be found in Israel. The role of Mossad into this whole episode should therefore be probed.8221;