Mumbai, Oct 8 (IANS): Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam whose remarks on the Indian Army's surgical strikes across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir have created a storm, on Friday claimed threats from the mafia even as his wife Geeta wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for security to their family.
Addressing mediapersons, Nirupam said that Mafiosi Ravi Pujari allegedly called on his residential landline number on Wednesday (October 5) around 11.15 a.m., from an international number, demanding a public apology for his remarks.
The gangster reportedly threatened him and his family members with dire consequences if he failed to tender a public apology for his utterance on the 'surgical strikes' by the Indian Army across the Line of Control recently.
Taking the threats seriously, he promptly lodged a complaint with the Versova Police Station, but said so far nobody from the police department including Police Commissioner have sought any additional information from him on the issue.
"Now, will the Opposition parties leaders be targeted with threats from goons, criminals and hooligans? I am a leader hailing from the masses... Why am I facing threats?" Nirupam asked.
Reiterating his earlier stance, Nirupam, a veteran journalist and three-time member of parliament - said in the past similar strikes have taken place, but now these are being politicized.
"We are proud of the Indian Army. Why should we not demand evidence on the 'surgical strikes', especially since Pakistan launched a campaign against us," he said.
Following the threats, Nirupam's wife Geeta has written a letter to the PM pointing how, after Nirupam's recent remarks, the entire family was abused in the most vulgar language on social media and via phone calls.
Expressing concerns about her family's security with the mafia threats, a former journalist and social worker, Geeta urged Modi to ensure the family's safety as she feels "very unsafe" in India.
She also urged him to keep politics aside from personal and family lives and keep a check on the vulgar commentaries of various social media activists, who are dragging even his 80-year old mother into the political storm which could have been easily discussed amongst political rivals.
Geeta pointed how how these activists organise condemn and hold candle processions to restore the dignity of a rape or molestation victim, but don't hesitate to use the social media "to abuse, emotionally torture and 'verbally rape' the women in my family", threaten to burn alive or kill Nirupam just because he aired his views.