SAD flays Kamal Nath’s appointment in Congress

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday asked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to tell Punjabis “why he continued to follow the family policy of protecting and promoting the perpetrators of the 1984 Sikh genocide as had been done in the case of Kamal Nath who has been appointed party in charge for Punjab”.

In a statement here, SAD secretary and spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said Nath’s appointment was the direct fallout of Rahul’s recent visit to the state. “You have rubbed rub salt into the wound by making this appointment” Dr Cheema told Rahul adding “Punjabis want to know why the Gandhi family continues to honour the perpetrators of the 1984 genocide with plum party posts. What is the Gandhi family afraid of ? Why has it consistently blocked any action against senior leaders, including Kamal Nath and Jagdish Tytler?” he questioned.

Read: ’84 ghost haunts Cong as Kamal Nath appointed Punjab, Haryana in-charge

The SAD leader said now it had become even more important to make all documents relevant to the 1984 genocide public. He said it was a fact that Nath had been indicted by the Nanavati Commission and that a witness had testified to seeing Nath leading an armed mob that attacked and demolished the Rakabganj Gurdwara.

“In the light of this evidence we feel there are sufficient grounds to convict Kamal Nath and make him pay for staining his hands with the blood of innocent Sikhs”, Cheema said, demanding that all files regarding this incident be reopened.

First Published: Jun 13, 2016 10:33 IST