Kamal Nath resigned “on his own volition” as party in-charge of Punjab, anguished by the “mischievous” campaign against him by opponents in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the party said on Thursday.
This comes in a day after Nath requested Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to relieve him of his charge as the party’s General Secretary. Gandhi immediately accepted his resignation.
Nath also met Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday evening.
Congress party’s senior spokesman Anand Sharma on Thursday refuted all suggestions that the party buckled under pressure to replace him.
He asserted that the “dishonest, perverse, and mischievous” narrative by the opposition was being manufactured as Punjab goes to polls next year.
Nath will continue to be the AICC General Secretary in-charge of Haryana.
In his letter, Nath said:
... I request that I may be relieved of my charge (of Punjab) to ensure that the attention is not diverted from the real issues facing Punjab. I was hurt by the developments of the past few days wherein an unnecessary controversy has been created around the tragic 1984 riots in New Delhi.
Earlier on Wednesday, HS Phoolka, advocate for victims of the 1984 riots, criticised Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh for giving a “clean chit” to the senior party leader in connection with the riots.
“There are ample evidences against Nath of his involvement in leading the mob to massacre Sikhs,” said Phoolka.
(With agency inputs)
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