On 8 June, a letter revealing the plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a “Rajiv Gandhi-type incident” has been seized from a suspected Maoist, police told a court in Pune.
The threat letter was seized from Rona Wilson, one of the five persons (Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale, lawyer Surendra Gadling, activists Mahesh Raut and Shoma Sen) who were arrested from Mumbai, Nagpur and Delhi in connection with ‘Elgar Parishad’ held in Pune in December and the Bhima-Koregaon violence in the district.
Prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar told the court that the letter also revealed about requirement of Rs 8 crore to procure M-4 rifle and 4 lakh rounds.
Amid the controversy over life threat to PM Modi, Sharad Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party chief, claimed that assassination plot against PM Modi was only devised to garner public sympathy.
He added, “They say there was a threatening letter. I spoke to a retired police officer, who had worked for CID. He said there is no substance in the letter. The letter is being used to garner people’s sympathy.”
“When like-minded people came together to organise the Elgar Parishad, they were called Naxals and were arrested. Everyone knows who executed the Bhima-Koregaon violence but those who have no links with it were arrested. This is nothing but misuse of power,” Pawar said.
“The BJP has realised that they are losing popular support. In order to gain sympathy, the BJP is now playing the threat letter card,” Pawar added.
Providing a befitting response to Pawar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “he did not expect Mr Pawar to stoop down to this level.”
He tweeted, “It is very unfortunate that Sharad Pawar ji is raising doubts about the communication ceased by the police which revels the plot to assassin Hon PM @narendramodi ji.”
