Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and his family landed in India on Saturday without much fanfare. The media’s blue-eyed boy has managed to enrage India on multiple occasions through the exceptional intellect that he possesses, something which he has showcased on numerous occasions. India and Canada share an important strategic partnership especially in terms of Free Trade Agreement, however, media’s supposed saviour of the world is threatening to ruin everything both the countries have managed to achieve.In what can be termed as an ultimate disrespect of India, Trudeau on his visit has refused to meet Punjab CM Amarinder Singh.
Captain Amarinder Singh was scheduled to act as the former’s tour guide during Trudeau’s visit to Golden Temple which is scheduled on 21st February. Trudeau decided not to meet Captain Amarinder Singh as he doesn’t want to upset Khalistani sympathisers that his government has nurtured so carefully and are crucial to Trudeau’s plans of getting re-elected.
Ever since Justin Trudeau was sworn in, his government has constantly insulted India and no amount of media gimmicks and dancing on the occasion of Indian festivals can undo the damage done by his government. While we continue to grapple with cross-border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan, Canada’s attempts to simmer discontent and ultimately break India has largely gone unnoticed.
Captain Amarinder Singh has been a vocal and a fierce critic of the Khalistan Movement. Captain has claimed on numerous occasions that concerted efforts are being made to revive Khalistani elements with backing from Pakistan’s spy agency ISI. Amarinder Singh also presented a strong case for incorporating tough laws such as the Punjab Control of Organised Crime Act (PCOCA) to contain such forces.
It must also be noted that Captain Amarinder Singh has openly said that five Sikh ministers of the Justin Trudeau government in Canada were Khalistani sympathisers, and that he would not meet their defence minister, Harjit Sajjan, when he visits India.
Trudeau on his part has done his best to avoid meeting with Captain Amarinder Singh.
Amarinder Singh in 2016, was denied permission by Trudeau to interact with Punjabi NRIs residing in Canada. According to Punjab intelligence, Canada-based Khalistanis and their sympathisers contribute the largest chunk of illegal hawala funding that is being used to try and revive the moribund separatist movement in Punjab.
Canada’s legislature passed a private member’s bill in 2017 that described the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as Genocide. The bill was moved by Harinder Malhi who belongs to Trudeau’s party. Trudeau displayed his true colours when he decided to participate in Khalsa Day celebrations that felicitated Harinder Malhi and had floats glorifying Sikh militants like Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who was killed in the siege of the Golden Temple and Operation Bluestar in June 1984.
Just two months before Trudeau’s visit, the association of 14 Gurudwaras in Ontario banned the entry of Indian government officials and diplomats, on the grounds that they were promoting “anti-Sikh propaganda”. MPs from his party have addressed Punjab as a nation on multiple occasions.
However, the ultimate insult came when a retired CRPF inspector general of police was denied entry at Vancouver Airport, on the grounds that he once used to serve a government that indulges in terrorism and genocides. This a line which is generally toed by Pakistan.
The recent developments are very unsettling and can ignite to the Khalistani Movement brewing in the West as Canada’s decision to ban Indian officials from visiting gurudwaras had a domino effect with gurudwaras in the US and UK announcing a ban on similar lines.
However, the story doesn’t end here. The pro-Khalistan groups who have largely gone unchecked under the Trudeau regime, are planning to hold an independence referendum in Toronto on June 17, 2020. They are planning to host similar events in North American cities like Houston and Dallas which the groups hope will culminate in a UN declaration of an “Independent Punjab”.
Trudeau’s intellect was on display again when he said he hopes to build excellent business relations with Punjab, but he wants to do so without meeting the CM of Punjab. Matters could have been a lot worse had AAP been in power considering the fact that Arvind Kejriwal himself has a history of hobnobbing with Khalistani sympathisers. The silence from the Congress party over one of its senior leaders being snubbed is deafening.
Unlike the mainstream media outlets who can’t stop drooling over the looks of Trudeau things haven’t gone unnoticed by PM Modi. Modi who is known for his red carpet welcomes and bear hugs to almost all the heads of state visiting India, took an exception and sent a Minister of State to welcome Trudeau at the airport. UP CM Yogi Adityanath too will not meet Trudeau when the latter visits Taj Mahal.
Captain Amarinder Singh is a man of character and strong will, he is one of the very few good men left in the Congress party. Justin Trudeau has every reason to be scared of him and avoid him. The fierce nationalist that Captain is, he won’t allow Khalistani separatists to sow seeds of discord, till the time he is the CM of Punjab.
But Captain’s disrespect is the disrespect of every single Indian. Trudeau might have his reasons to avoid Captain Amarinder Singh, but he must understand that this is India and we don’t take the insult of our leaders lying down.
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