Kamal Nath, the Congress’ party chief in Madhya Pradesh, has been touted as the top pick for the post of Chief Minister, even as his role during the 1984 Sikh riots is well-documented. As a Caravan article points out, “each time Gandhi tries to explain the party’s involvement in the killings, Nath’s record tarnishes his credentials.” The article states that during the 1984 massacre of Sikhs that took place in Delhi, it was Kamal Nath who led a murderous mob that burnt two Sikhs to death within a kilometre of the parliament. It also notes:
His long association with the businessman Gautam Adani has been cited often in media reports, and problems with land acquisition and construction of an Adani power plant in his constituency are well known in the region. Issues such as the Vyapam scandal, which had a resonance across the state, are now notably absent from the Congress campaign.
Kamal Nath’s role has also been spoken about in the book “When a Tree Shook Delhi” by Manoj Mitta and HS Phoolka, which discusses the 1984 carnage and its aftermath. In an excerpt of the book published by Scroll, it is said that the attack on Rakab Ranj Gurudwara was “remarkable” because it is “the only instance in the history of mass violence in India, where a political leader admitted to being on the spot.” The leader in question was Kamal Nath.
“In a siege that lasted over five hours, Kamal Nath is said to have been there for over two hours.” His 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.” Although he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly what Kamal Nath telling the crowd at the time, he said that “some mobs had charged at the gurdwara” in the Congress leader’s presence. He also testified that while all that drama was going on, the bodies of those Sikhs were “still burning on the roadside.”
The Indian National Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi has faced quite a lot of flak on social media, with journalists and commentators quick to remind them of Nath’s role in the 1984 Sikh Riots.