Lalu downplays Antulay's remarks on Karkare

NEW DELHI: Railway minister Lalu Prasad on Friday ruled out the need for an inquiry into the killing of Hemant Karkare, even as he sounded sympathetic to the sentiments expressed by the minority affairs minister who had demanded a probe into the circumstances in which the Mumbai ATS chief was killed by terrorists.
Downplaying Antulay's controversial statement, Lalu said: "There is no doubt over the fact that Karkare was killed by terrorists who had come from Pakistan.The arrested terrorist (Mohammad Ajmal Kasab) has himself confessed that he is from Pakistan. Besides, Karkare was killed before so many people, so where is the question of doubt," Lalu said in an exclusive talk with TOI on Friday.
He said he had spoken to the minister "and Antulayji told me that he knows that it were the Pakistani terrorists who killed him".
But Lalu did not brush aside the conspiracy theory floated by Antulay. "He (Antulay) merely wanted to know as to why Karkare went to CST station instead of going to Taj or Oberoi, the main targets of terrorists."
Lalu's indulgence of the minority affairs minister came through clearly. "He (Antulay) wanted to know about the nature of mental pressure" Karkare had been over the past some time. He also wanted to know who asked him to go to CST along with other senior police officers where they later fell prey to terrorist bullets.
Lalu's remarks chimed with the sentiments of many in Congress, particularly those belonging to the minority community.
While it can dampen any hope of UPA allies rallying behind Antulay, the sense of solidiarity can set limits to what Congress leadership, clearly annoyed with the minority affairs minister for his outburst, can do to make Antulay fall in line.