There’s no FIR against me in riots case: Nath

BHOPAL: Almost six months before assembly elections, the issue of 1984 anti-Sikh riots has come alive in Madhya Pradesh after CBI filed a chargesheet against senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler on Saturday.
With Kamal Nath leading the Congress in the state assembly elections, state BJP president VD Sharma and several other BJP leaders on Sunday said that Nath’s hands are “stained with blood of the anti-Sikh riots” and investigations are on against him.
On Monday, Kamal Nath slammed BJP for raking up the issue. Speaking to reporters at Anuppur on Monday, Nath said that BJP has no issues against him and VD Sharma is making accusations to hide his own misdeeds. “The BJP has nothing to say against me. In my 45 years of public life, no one has raised a finger,” Nath said.
“The riots occured in 1984, someone should have registered an FIR. After the incident, no one registered an FIR against me in 1985 or 1986 or 1989. The BJP had constituted an inquiry Commission,” the senior Congress leader said. He said after the BJP appointed the Nanavati Commission, many from politics approached the commission which said he was innocent. “The BJP government constituted a commission that said I am innocent. It submitted a 100-page report. No one made any accusations, but to hide his illegal activities, VD Sharma has raked up the issue,” he said.
However, state BJP president VD Sharma challenged both Nath and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh to show evidence of the dark deeds. “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, besides being former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. I challenge Nath and Digvijaya Singh that if there is even one proof of his allegation, I will come for a debate. Otherwise, Nath should specify his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots,” Sharma said.
Sharma said that the Nanavati Commission suspected Nath’s involvement in riots. “The country wants a reply from Nath about his role, those Sikh brothers who were killed want a reply. So he should answer them,” VD Sharma said.
He said that Nath’s friend Digvijaya Singh has also made certain allegations. “I have filed a defamation suit against him. The court has put-up a challan. And now Digvijaya cannot answer. And I will not leave the matter till Digvijaya is in jail,” he said.