PM MODI DREDGES UP YAKUB MEMON GHOST

The ghost of Yakub Memon, who was convicted and then hanged in 2015 for his prime role in the March 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts executed by the Dawood Ibrahim gang and masterminded by Pakistan's ISI, was resurrected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

- S BALAKRISHNAN

Addressing large rallies at Nanded and Parbhani in the backward Marathwada region, Mr Modi accused the MVA government helmed by Uddhav Thackeray of decorating the grave" of Yakub Memon at the Bada Kabrastan near Marine Lines station. A major controversy had taken placed then, with the then opposition accusing the MVA government of permitting the refurbishing of Memon's grave. Memon was hung at Pune's Yerawada jail and his body was buried in the grave in south Mumbai amidst heavy police bandobast personally supervised by the then pocommissioner Rakesh lice Maria.

By making the Yakub Memon controversy a poll issue, Mr Modi was obviously trying to accuse the MVA of going soft on terrorists.