Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Express file photo/Praveen Jain)
Raising suspicion over Pune Police’s findings of an alleged plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said that the threat letter, which was seized, “did not have any substance” and was merely being used to “garner people’s sympathy”.
“They (Pune Police) say there was a threatening letter. I spoke to a retired police officer who had worked for the CID. He said there is no substance in the letter. The letter is being used to garner people’s sympathy,” Pawar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Condemning the arrest of five persons for having alleged Maoist links, Pawar said, “When like-minded people came together to organise Elgar Parishad, they were called naxals and arrested. Everyone knows who executed Bhima Koregaon Violence but those who have no link with it were arrested. This is the misuse of power.”
The Pune police on Thursday claimed to have seized an email, from one of the five people arrested, which hinted at plans to assassinate Modi in “another Rajiv Gandhi-type incident” by “targeting his roadshows”.
While reacting to the report, the Congress had earlier said that such stories are planted each time the Modi’s popularity took a hit. “I am not saying this is completely untrue but it has been PM Modi’s old tactic since he was chief minister. Whenever his popularity declines, news of an assassination plot is planted. So it should be probed how much truth is in it this time,” Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, on the other hand, said it was better for the court to decide and ascertain the alleged assassination plot. “We should wait for the court to probe the email and reveal the truth. We have several security agencies in our country. Let our ministers look into the security.”