Sanjay Saraf denies being an envoy of Narendra Modi

Srinagar: Sanjay Saraf, who belongs to a party which is part of the NDA, on Sunday confirmed that he had met Syed Ali Shah Geelani but dismissed reports that he had carried any message from Narendra Modi to the hardline Hurriyat leader.

Lok Janshakti Party leader Mr Saraf said his relations with the separatist leader were “personal”. “I have been meeting Mr Geelani for the past so many years. I have not met him in the context that has been reported,” he said. Mr Saraf said he rushed here from Bihar after he was named as one of the emissaries of Mr Modi that Mr Geelani claimed had called on him for opening a dialogue with the BJP leader.

“This is a completely baseless report. I have not met Mr Geelani since he was taken to Delhi for treatment in early March this year,” he said.

Asked about media reports identifying him as one of the two emissaries, Mr Saraf said he was exploring legal options against a daily which carried the report for “spreading falsehood.