NEW DELHI -- After facing a huge backlash for choosing Kamal Nath as its general secretary in charge of poll-bound Punjab, the Congress Party has now picked a leader, who was convicted in a land grab case in February, and who happens to be out on bail.
Asha Kumari, a lawmaker from Himachal Pradesh, was accused of transferring 60 bighas of government forest land in the name of her husband, Brijender Singh.
She was found guilty of criminal conspiracy and handed down a jail term of one year and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 8,000 by a court in Chamba, Hindustan Times reported in February.
Following the uproar over her appointment, Asha described the matter as a "non-issue" since the "matter is stayed and suspended by High Court."
Earlier this month, Nath resigned as the Punjab chief following intense criticism by political rivals of the Congress Party as well as grumblings from inside the Grand Old Party. Many Sikhs believe that he contributed to the bloodshed which claimed the lives of 3,000 members of their community in Delhi after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.
Nath has never been charged for any crime in connection with the violence in the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots, and the Congress Party leader maintains that he played no role in the carnage.
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