Chandigarh: To fill in the position of general secretary in-charge of Punjab after Kamal Nath's resignation, the Congress has selected the former state education minister Asha Kumari.
The decision to bring in the lawmaker from Himachal Pradesh, who had been convicted in a land-grab case in February and is currently out on bail, has been taken citing the next year's assembly elections in the state.
Asha Kumari is said to have illegally transferred 60 bighas of government's forest land in the name of her husband Brijender Singh, who belonged to the Chamba's royal family, 18 years ago.
With his alleged role in 1984 anti-sikh riots haunting him, Kamal Nath on June 15 gave up the charge of Punjab assigned to him three days ago, in a clear bid to control damage in the coming Assembly polls as rivals have been taking up the issue.
He wrote a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi who immediately accepted his resignation and relieved him of his charge as party General Secretary.
Kamal Nath insisted that there was not even any public statement, complaint or FIR against him till 2005 in the riots case and that he had been absolved subsequently by the Nanavati Commission set up by the previous NDA government.
