Congress takes a dig at RSS

The Congress on Friday took a dig at the RSS for its remarks distancing itself from Malegaon blast accused Colonel Srikant Purohit and Swami Dayanand Pandey saying the "same people" were earlier saying the two were innocent.

"This statement has come after one year. I want to remind people of what they had said earlier. Then they were saying that these people were completely innocent and they were being framed.

"If any organisation and individual is now trying wash its hands off from them, they should be questioned," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.

The party's reaction came after the RSS asked the prime minister to set up an independent commission to probe an alleged plot to assassinate its chief Mohan Bhagwat by former military intelligence officer Purohit and efforts to "malign" the image of the Sangh.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sangh Sarkaryavah (general secretary) Suresh Joshi 'Bhayyaji' said the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad has evidence to prove that Malegaon blast accused Col Purohit and Dayanand Pandey were simultaneously plotting to eliminate Bhagwat and senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar.

The four-page letter delivered to the PMO yesterday stated that the fundamental question which needed to addressed was, "How could RSS be bracketed with those who were viciously hostile to it and conspiring to kill its leaders?"