The Congress on Monday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of running a "mischievous campaign and a nefarious agenda" against its party leader Kamal Nath, who was made incharge of the Punjab party unit affairs ahead of the 2017 assembly elections.
Kamal Nath, also made incharge of Congress affairs in Haryana, was indicted by the Nanavati Commission for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The AAP had termed the Congress move as "shameful" but the latter rejected the AAP reaction as 'perverse' and 'mischievous'.
"It is a nefarious aganda; it is a perverse mindset; and unfair targeting of my colleague and the Congress rejects it.
"The AAP, after having miserably performed in Delhi, are mischievously misrepresenting the facts to reap narrow political dividends. What they have said about Kamal Nath is perverse, contrary to the fatcs," senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said.
"Till 2005, no one took Kamal Nath ji's name. In 2005, the Nanavati COmmission was set up. Prior to that, so many other commissions were also set up. No commission had taken his name anywhere. None of these commissions indicted him," said Sharma.
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"Nobody even lodged a complaint against him. The first time his name was mentioned was by the Nanavati Commission which was formed during the National Democratic Alliance's rule," he added.
The Congress leader said: "A journalist named Sanjay Suri, who was present during the riots, gave his statement to the Nanavati Commission saying that Kamal Nath was urging the crowd not to indulge in violence."
Sharma quoted Nanavati Commission report which stated: "In absence of any 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."
"After the Nanavati Commsission report came, an adjournment motion was brought in the Lok Sabha by the opposition. The BJP was in opposition then. (BJP leader) L.K. Advani ji didn't even utter a single thing about Kamal Nath. Neither the Akali Dal nor the BJP mentioned his name," Sharma said.
--IANS
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