NEW DELHI (PTI) — The Congress on Friday asked why the government’s top investigative agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), was not involved in probing the alleged plot to assassinate the prime minister in a “Rajiv Gandhi-type event to end Modi-raj”.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, “Does common sense tell that there is a possible assassination plot against the prime minister, which he condemned, but asked why the country’s top probe agencies were not involved and it was left to the Pune Police to carry out investigations.”
“I am gravely concerned about the security of the prime minister if you are leaving the matter like this to the Pune Police,” he said.
“Nobody in the right mind should be supported who is trying to attack the Prime Minister of India. Do you think that an illusion of grandeur that the Pune Police is in-charge of investigation and the NIA is nowhere to be seen, CBI is nowhere to be seen?
“The biggest investigative agency of our country are not to be seen in the PM’s part of assassination attempt and the Pune Police is in-charge? I find it absurd,” he told reporters.
On being asked if the Congress wanted an NIA probe, Mr Singhvi said one can imagine if the charge was credible and serious.
“The NIA, the Home Minister, the CBI, the RAW and the IB should be involved,” he said.
He said the head of the government is involved as a possible target and “you are talking through the person who is having the press conference of the Pune Police”.
Mr Singhvi said he may not agree with poet-activist Varavara Rao on the way he writes or with rights activists Gautam Navlakha’s views, but the true test of democracy is as Voltaire rightly said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”.
Police on Friday claimed they have “conclusive proof” to link Left-wing activists arrested in June and this week to Maoists, saying one of them spoke of a “Rajiv Gandhi-type event to end Modi-raj”.
An email between Rona Wilson, one of the arrested activists, and a Maoist leader, speaks of ending “Modi-raj” with a ‘Rajiv Gandhi-type incident’, Additional Director General (law and order) Parambir Singh told reporters in Mumbai.
The Pune Police had on August 28 raided the homes of prominent Left-wing activists in several states and arrested five of them – Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, Sudha Bharadwaj in Faridabad and Gautam Navalakha in Delhi.
