I am a victim of conspiracy, says Madani

People's Democratic Party leader Abdul Nasser Madani on Thursday claimed he was a victim of "deep-rooted conspiracy" by his adversaries, including intelligences agencies, to implicate him in the 2008 Bangalore blasts case.

"What was unfolding now was a well-plotted drama to re-enact what had happened in the 1998 Coimbatore blast case," Madani, who moved an anticipatory bail plea in a Bangalore court yesterday, said.

In the Coimbatore blast case, the PDP leader had to spend nearly 10 years in jail before he was acquitted.

"In the Coimbatore blast case, I was arrested in Kerala and detained in Kannur jail first. I was told by central intelligence officers that I would be a witness in the case. Later on, I became the 86th accused but subsequently made the 14th accused," Madani said.

He claimed on the same pattern a move was now on to implicate him on the basis of "false charges and statements" purportedly made against him by other accused and witnesses in the case.

There was a reference in the chargesheet that it was he (Madani) who instigated T Nazir, the prime accused in the case, to take to extremist path by asking him to read books of

Jihadist proponents like Maududi, Madani said, adding this was totally baseless as he had never been an ideological follower of Maududi.

The PDP leader appealed to his followers to maintain peace.

Meanwhile, a PDP delegation, led by party working chairman Poonthura Siraj, met Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan to apprise him of the poor health condition of Madani.