Pragya Singh Thakur’s claim that former Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) Chief Hemant Karkare, who was martyred in 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, died due to her curse has triggered outrage among Karkare’s former colleagues and other activists, who have expressed shock at the remarks.

Several former IPS officers and his colleagues including former Mumbai Police Commissioner Julio Ribeiro and Former Maharashtra DGP, Anami Roy came out and defended Karkare and his supreme sacrifice.

Meanwhile, the right wing activists also jumped in to support Sadhvi Pragya’s statement and triggered debate on social media over the issue.

Madhu Purnima Kishwar, Founder of Human Rights organisation ‘Manushi’ and a hardcore supporter of Narendra Modi and RSS, on Friday tweeted alleging that the former ATS chief was ‘dead drunk’ when he was called to attend the 26/11 attack.

“The whole country saw on TV that Karkare was fumbling & seemed clumsy handling his bullet proof vest. It's an open secret he was dead drunk that evening when he was called to attend to terror attack” she tweeted.

Replying to a tweet from senior journalist Sagarika Ghose, wherein the journalist condemned the statement, Madhu Kishwar went on to add that Karkare server Pakistan and not India.

In a series of tweets, she further added that Karkare did not fire any bullets at the terrorists and questioned how he was credited with combating terrorists.

Karkare had charged Pragra Singh Thakur and Lt. Col Purohit Singh in connection with hatching the conspiracy and carrying out terror attacks in Malegoan.

Commenting on the charges labeled by Karkare on Pragya and Col. Purohit Singh, Kishwar tweeted that Karkare was ‘inventing fake narratice of Hindu terror to please Islamist’.

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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who recently presented his record 17th Budget as the state's finance minister, recalled on Tuesday that he first took on the responsibility in 1994 at the insistence of then CM H D Deve Gowda.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, he said that if he had not accepted the responsibility then, he wouldn't have presented the record number of budgets.

"Deve Gowda was the chief minister. I asked for the Revenue Department during the meeting at senior leader R L Jalappa's office at his medical college.... But Jalappa said he wanted the Revenue portfolio, so that department went to him. When I asked what would be given to me, Gowda said to take the Finance Department. I told him I didn't want Finance, but Gowda insisted, saying that they wanted a trusted person," Siddaramaiah said.

He said, "I did not know economics, nor had I studied it, so I said I didn't want that department. But Gowda forcefully gave that portfolio to me."

At this point, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, quipped that Gowda might have had farsightedness. "Since you (Siddaramaiah) became finance minister then, today you have presented 17 budgets. If not, I'm not sure what would have happened....you should thank him (Gowda) for it."

Siddaramaiah replied to Ashoka, saying, "If not then, he would never have become (the finance minister)."

The issue arose as Ashoka, while comparing the first Budget presented by Siddaramaiah for 1995-96 to the one presented by him last week said, "it (the first budget) had weight....there is nothing in this budget compared to it."

Noting that Siddaramaiah himself previously stated that he faced criticism when he first became the finance minister with comments like, "How can a person who cannot count a hundred sheep present a state budget?", Ashoka said, "It was Gowda who made such a person the finance minister."

Siddaramaiah hails from the Kuruba (shepherd) community.

Siddaramaiah's relationship with JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda is now considered as "friends-turned-foes" in Karnataka's political circles, after the former was thrown out of the JD(S) in 2005 for anti-party activities.