May 06, 2024 10:27 (IST)
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Kamal Nath quits as Congress in-charge in poll-bound Punjab
New Delhi, Jun 15 (IBNS): After facing heat from the Opposition over his alleged role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Wednesday night wrote to party chief Sonia Gandhi, stating that he doesn't want to be in-charge of the party in the poll-bound Punjab.
He has stepped down from the post of the general secretary in-charge for the coming elections in Punjab.
His resignation has been accepted by Sonia Gandhi, said media reports.
In his letter to Sonia, Nath reportedly wrote that he was "hurt by developments in the past few days, where unnecessary controversy has been created around 1984 riots."
The controversy took off soon after the appointment of Nath as in-charge of the party's Punjab affairs.
Terming the appointment as "the ultimate insult to Sikhs", Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said, “This comes on the eve of Rahul Gandhi's visit to Punjab. It is an unbelievably brazen act of insensitivity towards Sikhs."
"I just cannot believe a political party can be so brutally insensitive to the sentiments of the Sikh community," he said.
Punjab goes to Assembly polls next year and the Congress mulls all possible moves to put up a good showing in the state with party's vice president Rahul Gandhi initiating the move by leading a protest in Jalandhar on Monday against drug menace.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also attacked the Congress over the appointment of Kamal Nath and asked Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh if he has absolved the Congress veteran for his alleged involvement in 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Kejriwal tweeted: "Capt Amrinder shud state his stand on Kamal Nath. Does Capt absolve Kamal Nath?"
Kejriwal also questioned Centre's move to reopen 75 cases of anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and some other states saying BJP has set up SIT (Special Investigation Team) only to prevent AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) from forming an effective SIT.
He tweeted: "Reopen cases now? What did they do in one n a half years? BJP set up SIT only 2 prevent AAP from formin effective SIT."
AAP is set to contest assembly polls in Punjab, the first time.
A total of 3,325 people were killed in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots across the country following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Congress state party chief Captain Amrinder Singh had, however, welcomed the appointment of Kamal Nath and claimed that he needed an experienced hand in Punjab.
Singh claimed that Nath had no role in the 1984 riots and that his name was dragged into the riots during his visit to the US in 2010.
Nath was given the charge after Shakeel Ahmed, party in-charge of Punjab and Haryana, went abroad on a two-month leave to attend to his ailing wife.
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