Kamal Nath not an accused in 1984 riots, smear campaign by BJP: Digvijaya

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday accused BJP of a smear campaign against Kamal Nath, a contender for chief ministership in Madhya Pradesh, in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Singh asserted that there is no FIR or case against Nath in the case. Despite Singh not being an accused, according to Singh, the campaign is being run by the rival BJP.

"The incident is 35 years old. There is no FIR against him, no charge sheet or a case against him; he is not an accused in the case. Whenever his name comes up, BJP people run such kind of campaign. Kamal Nath was a minister from '85 to '90 as well as between '91 and '96. He was also a minister from 2004 to 2014. At these times no one objected. Most or as much as 100 per cent Sikhs of Chhindwara are his supporters and he has also done service at the local Gurudwara. No one has a problem with him," Singh told ANI in an exclusive conversation.

He, however, asserted that he has no information as to who would be announced as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. An announcement in this regard is expected to be made this evening.

On being asked about the sloganeering by supporters of Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kamal Nath, Singh raised suspicion whether it is the rivals who stage managed it. He said, "People are excited and we do not know which party they belong to. It needs to be seen how many of them are Congress members or which party they are from".

With both Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Kamal Nath and party's campaign committee in-charge Jyotiraditya Scindia being in the race for the top post in the state, the Congress is treading very thin ice as the appointment of either of the two may lead to internal rifts ahead of the crucial 2019 General elections.