The Aam Aadmi Party and The Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday tore into Congress for appointing Kamal Nath as the party’s general secretary in-charge of Punjab with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal terming it as “the ultimate insult to Sikhs”.
“It is an unbelievable brazen act of insensitivity towards Sikhs and crass and vulgar disregard of national opinion on the guilty of the massacre of thousands of innocent Sikh children, men and women by Congress goons in November 1984. I just cannot believe a political party can be so brutally insensitive to the sentiments of Sikhs,” Mr Badal said.
“I am shocked that the Congress high command is going to these heights to rub salt into Sikh wounds while at the same time enacting the drama of putting up a show of prime ministerial repentance over its sins. Are these signs of genuine repentance or adding fresh insult to old wounds?” he said.
Hitting out at Congress, H. S. Phoolka, an advocate fighting for the victims of the 1984 riots, said by appointing Nath as the Congress in-charge of Punjab, the party has tried to rub salt into wounds of the victims.
”...On November 2, 1984 a national daily reported that Kamal Nath was leading the mob which attacked Rakabganj Sahib.
On November 3, another national daily reported the same,” he said, adding that through this appointment, Congress has conveyed that the party does not care about the sentiments of the victims.
“All that Congress cares is about the people having lots of money and muscle power,” he said.
“Promoting perpetrators”
SAD secretary and spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said the appointment of Mr Nath was the outcome of Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to the State and asked the Congress vice-president why he still follows the Gandhi family policy of “protecting and promoting” the perpetrators of the 1984 riots.
He claimed it was a fact that Mr Nath had been indicted by the Nanavati Commission and that a witness had testified to seeing him leading an armed mob that attacked Rakabganj gurdwara.
Mr Cheema said it has now become even more important to make all documents relevant to the riots public.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) too flayed Congress over the issue.
State convenor of AAP Sucha Singh Chhotepur said for the last 32 years, Sikhs have been trying hard to get justice for the massacre in 1984, but instead of giving justice, Congress is cracking a “cruel joke” on them by sending Kamal Nath to oversee party’s affairs in Punjab. - PTI
