Shiromani Akali Dal today attacked Congress over the appointment of Kamal Nath as general secretary in-charge for Punjab, alleging the party has rewarded to the leader who had been "involved" in the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, with a "plum post".
"You have only rubbed salt in our wounds by making this appointment," SAD Secretary and spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said.
"Punjabis want to know why the Gandhi family continues to honour the perpetrators of the 1984 genocide with plum party posts," he alleged.
"What is the Gandhi family afraid of? Why has it consistently blocked any action against senior leaders including Kamal Nath and Jagdish Tytler," he alleged.
Nath was today appointed Congress general secretary in-charge of Punjab and Haryana by party chief Sonia Gandhi, setting in motion the much talked about process of organisational changes ahead of the Assembly elections next year.
The SAD leader said now it had become even more important to make public all documents relevant to the 1984 riots.
"Several Sikhs were burnt alive during the attack. Nath's presence at the site was also confirmed by two senior police officers," he further alleged.
He claimed that nine commissions of enquiries and many independent human right organisations had "fixed responsibility" on Sajjan Kumar, H K L Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler and Nath, and alleged that despite this Sonia Gandhi "kept mum" on the issue.
"We have consistently opposed the cover-up by the CBI during Congress-led UPA rule and it is only now after the NDA government has come to power that the issue is being re-examined", he alleged.
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All India Sikh Students Federation also attacked Congress in Amritsar for appointing Nath as in-charge of party's Punjab and Haryana unit, alleging that his involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
AISSF president Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad said Congress has "rubbed salt into the wounds" of Sikhs by appointing Nath as the incharge.
"Congress will have to face criticism and backlash every day now after the appointment of Kamal Nath," he said.
