Giving blow to the Sikhs, Kamal Nath of the Congress has been chosen as the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, where the party defeated the three times CM of the BJP – Shivraj Chauhan by a slender margin.
The gruesome carnage of 1984 which was planned by Congress after Indira Gandhi’s assassination, claimed nearly 8000 – 17,000 (according to independent sources) lives of innocent Sikhs.
Kamal Nath is a face which the Sikhs cannot forget. The image of Kamal Nath standing on the Parliament Street outside the historic Gurdwara Rakabganj in New Delhi haunts the Sikhs.
Kamal Nath reminds me of Gurudwara Rakab Ganj.
It may not be reminding anything to @sherryontopp or to @capt_amarinder
Congressmen rarely have to answer their own conscience #1984
— Pawan Durani (@PawanDurani) 12 December 2018
As a Caravan article points out, “each time Gandhi tries to explain the party’s involvement in the killings, Nath’s record tarnishes his credentials.” The article states that during the 1984 massacre of Sikhs that took place in Delhi, it was Kamal Nath who led a murderous mob that burnt two Sikhs to death within a kilometre of the parliament. It also notes:
His long association with the businessman Gautam Adani has been cited often in media reports, and problems with land acquisition and construction of an Adani power plant in his constituency are well known in the region. Issues such as the Vyapam scandal, which had a resonance across the state, are now notably absent from the Congress campaign.
Kamal Nath’s role has also been spoken about in the book “When a Tree Shook Delhi” by Manoj Mitta and HS Phoolka, which discusses the 1984 carnage and its aftermath. In an excerpt of the book published by Scroll, it is said that the attack on Rakab Ranj Gurudwara was “remarkable” because it is “the only instance in the history of mass violence in India, where a political leader admitted to being on the spot.” The leader in question was Kamal Nath.
“In a siege that lasted over five hours, Kamal Nath is said to have been there for over two hours.” His presence there was “confirmed by two of the senior-most officers, Commissioner Subhash Tandan, and Additional Commissioner Guatam Kaul, as also by an independent source, The Indian Express reporter, Sanjay Suri.”
According to Suri, Kamal Nath was “controlling the crowd,” which he said, was “looking to him for directions.” Although he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly what Kamal Nath telling the crowd at the time, he said that “some mobs had charged at the gurdwara” in the Congress leader’s presence. He also testified that while all that drama was going on, the bodies of those Sikhs were “still burning on the roadside.”
Also Read: Top 10 Architects of 1984 Sikh Genocide
In 2016, Nath had to step down as the party’s Punjab in-charge over the 1984 charges, but found himself in favour once again as the Madhya Pradesh elections approached.
After the Congress announced its decision, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the party was rewarding Nath for his role in the riots. “Whenever the Gandhi family comes to power, it protects the perpetrators of the 1984 riots,” Sirsa said.
“Now, Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family are rewarding Kamal Nath as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi wants to give a message that those involved in the killings of Sikhs in 1984 now need not worry… that they are behind them and will reward them instead.”
I warn @RahulGandhi -Sikhs hv been patient enough but don’t instigate them with your decision to make @OfficeofKNath the CM of MP!
History shows when someone dares to be Sikhs’ enemy; Sikhs throttle the cruel oppressors with befitting & memorable response @ANI @republic @ZeeNews https://t.co/bHUHxPj3re
— Manjinder S Sirsa (@mssirsa) 13 December 2018
Even before his appointment was announced, Sikh leaders had said they would protest if Nath was given the top post in Madhya Pradesh.