According to media reports. Kamal Nath has been appointed as the CM of Madhya Pradesh. As Kamal Nath prepares to take charge, Sikh groups are angry and are feeling cheated. They are questioning Kamal Nath’s questionable conduct during 1984 Sikh genocide. Rahul Gandhi is also facing the heat of their anger.
Heard @RahulGandhi planning to appointment 84 Sikh Massacre Murdrer Kamalnath as CM. He is the same person who Burned Gurudwara Rakbaganj ( Hind di Chadar Guru Teg Bhadur ji cremation place) . It exposing Congress Anti Sikh face once again
— Tajinder Bagga (Modi Ka Parivar) (@TajinderBagga) December 12, 2018
Whn Rahul Gandhi appointed 1984 Sikh Massacre Murdrer Kamal nath as incharge of Punjab assembly election, @capt_amarinder protested till his removal. If RaGa still appoint Sikh Murderer Kamalnath as CM, Captain sahab should protest & Resign from Congress
— Tajinder Bagga (Modi Ka Parivar) (@TajinderBagga) December 13, 2018
Dilemma deepens for Congress brass in MP, as KamalNath surges ahead in the race of CM post in MP, Sikh groups, social media is uneasy, they are questioning Rahul Gandhi on KamalNath's suitability, asking 'how can riot tainted Nath be CM?’| Govind with details #RahulLeadershipTest pic.twitter.com/DsychrT2MR
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) December 13, 2018
Kamal Nath’s involvement in the 1984 case is well documented by Manoj Mitta and HS Phoolka in their book titled- When A Tree Shook Delhi. In a chapter of book titled- A Tale of two Gurudwaras– the authors write, “Rakab Ganj Gurudwara, despite being across the street from Parliament House, was subjected to a prolonged siege in which its periphery was damaged, and two Sikhs were roasted alive. The attack on Rakab Ganj Gurudwara was also remarkable for the fact that it was probably the first, and so far, the only instance in the history of mass violence in India, where a political leader admitted to being on the spot. And such an instance ironically occurred in the immediate vicinity of India’s parliament.”
The leader in question here is Congress MP- Kamal Nath- who has been chosen as the next CM of MP. In the past as well, he was allotted several key portfolios in UPA government, and he is one of the senior leaders of the party.
Rakab ganj Gurudwara was close to Teen Murti Bhawan where the dead body of Indira Gandhi was kept for darshan. Mourners had been crying “khoon ka badla khoon (blood for blood)”. People were certain about the presence of Sikhs at Rakab ganj Gurudwara, and therefore it came to be the target of the mob.
What’s shocking about all this is the presence of Kamal Nath at Rakab ganj Gurudwara where two Sikhs were burned to death. Kamal Nath’s 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.’
In his book titled 1984: The Anti-Sikh Violence and After, Sanjay Suri writes, “Kamal Nath and that crowd had a connection; he signalled, they listened. And they were only likely to respond to him if they were from the Congress party and accepted him as their leader, not just any leader.”
Manoj Mitta and HS Phoolka in their book titled- When A Tree Shook Delhi writes that on November 3, The Statesman referred to Kamal Nath’s presence at Rakab Ganj while analyzing the carnage: “Policemen criticised the role of politicians too. Several councillors, they alleged, interceded on behalf of violent mobs when policemen tried to stop arson. Officers wondered what Mr Kamal Nath was doing at Rakab Ganj.”
In fact, Kamal Nath himself acknowledges his presence at Rakab ganj Gurudwara when he was served a notice by the Nanavati Commission almost two decades later.
People allege that Kamal Nath has not been punished for his role because of lackluster approach adopted by the UPA government, and lack of evidence against him. The Nanavati Commission said, “In (the) absence of better evidence, it is not possible for the commission to say that he had in any manner instigated the mob or that he was involved in the attack on the gurdwara.” So, basically he received the benefit of doubt.
Not just in 1984 anti-Sikh carnage, Kamal Nath’s name surfaced in corruption cases also. The BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said, “While Kamal Nath ji was a minister and involved in scams, he was shielded by a person. That person is Rahul Gandhi. Kamal Nath was the main face of the rice exports scam. The case was not handed over to CBI. To save its face, Congress hatched conspiracy.”
He also added, “When Niira Radia tapes were leaked in connection with 2G Scam, Kamal Nath ji’s name also appeared in it, his true form as a ‘minister of 15% commission’ was exposed. Even then he was not removed from there because he is very close to Rahul Gandhi.”
The Congress party’s decision to install Kamal Nath as the next CM of the state is only going to increase the problems of the party. In fact, his blatant Muslim appeasement in the run up to the state assembly elections already created many problems for the party, but still somehow they managed to win the elections. However, the party will definitely face the anger of Sikh community for appointing riot tainted Kamal Nath as the CM of the state.