NEW DELHI: It is not unusual for Pakistan to be dragged into Indian election campaigns. Friday’s reference by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a cross border plot in the derailment of a train in Kanpur in November last year has set off media speculation that he was hinting at the preferred bugbear and none else.

A report on the India Today website said Modi was referring to Pakistan for Kanpur train derailment in which about 150 were killed.

However, Modi was giving his speech in Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, which borders Nepal, and there have been some reports that it was there that the alleged plot was hatched.

Modi said that the people of the city needed to elect those who were full of patriotism. This would be of a piece with desperate innuendos and communal appeals that he and his party leaders have been making in the recent legs of the seven-stage polls. Analysts say this could be an indication that the Bharatiya Janata Party was not doing well in the crucial state, India’s most populous.

India Today said the Kanpur train derailment case is being investigated by multiple agencies including the National Investigation Agency. The investigators involved with the case have, however, stayed away from naming ISI or confirming a foreign hand behind the derailment.

“A rail accident happened in Kanpur, few people have been caught. Police found out that it was a conspiracy from across the border. If such people, who will help [conspirators], get elected from here, will Gonda be safe? Will nation be safe then?” Modi was quoted as saying.

Reports said Modi’s comment contradicted investigations so far by UP police, central railway board and even National Investigation Agency (NIA). “These agencies are yet to draw any conclusion on a Pakistan link to Kanpur train derailment,” India Today said.

A senior officer of the NIA refused to comment on the issue, it said. The probe conducted by three agencies did not pick any forensic evidence of explosives, the report added. The recovery of technical evidence in the form of audio clips is still being examined. A team of NIA has gone to Nepal to make further probe. But no strong leads have emerged so far.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2017