BHOPAL: Six months before the assembly elections, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots have come alive in Madhya Pradesh after CBI on Saturday filed a chargesheet against senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler.
With Kamal Nath leading the Congress party in the assembly elections, state BJP president VD Sharma and several other BJP leaders on Sunday alleged that state Congress president Kamal Nath’s hands are “stained with blood of the anti-Sikh riots” and investigations are on against him.
On Monday, Kamal Nath countered the BJP’s allegations saying that ruling BJP has no issues against him and state BJP president VD Sharma is making accusations to hide his own misdeeds. “The BJP has nothing to say against me. In my 45 years in politics, no one could raise a finger,” former chief minister Kamal Nath said, speaking to reporters in Annuppur.
“The riots occured in 1984, someone should have registered an FIR. Whatever incident occurred, no one registered an FIR against me in 1985, 1986 or 1989. The BJP had constituted an inquiry Commission,” the senior Congress leader recalled. He said that after the BJP appointed the Nanavati Commission, many from politics approached Commission which said he was innocent. “The BJP government constituted a commission that said I am innocent. It is a 100-page report. No one made any accusations. But to hide his illegal activities, VD Sharma started this,” he said.
Reacting to this, state BJP president VD Sharma challenged both Kamal Nath and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh to show evidence of his dark deeds. “Kamal Nath has said that VD Sharma is making allegations to hide his black deeds. Kamal Nath you are a responsible person and has been the Union minister for commerce. He was also chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. I challenge Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh that if there is even one line of proof of his allegation, then I will come for a debate. Otherwise, Kamal Nath should specify his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots,” VD Sharma said.
Sharma further alleged that the Nanavati Commission suspected Kamal Nath’s involvement in the riots. “The country wants a reply from Kamal Nath about his role, those Sikh brothers who were brutally killed want a reply. So he should answer them,” VD Sharma said.
He further said that Kamal Nath’s friend Digvijaya Singh also made certain allegations. “I have filed a defamation suit against him. The court has put-up a challan. And now Digvijaya Singh cannot answer. And I will not leave the matter till Digvijaya Singh is in jail,” he said.
