Chandigarh:
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday alleged that Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's refusal to meet Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan is part of a "political conspiracy" hatched by the Congress high command under a "tit for tat" policy.
"As we are aware, the Ontario state assembly of Canada had recently passed a resolution terming the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as Sikh genocide and state sponsored annihilation of the Sikhs," Punjab AAP Chief Whip Sukhpal Singh Khaira said.
He said this is something which is completely unacceptable to the Congress high command, as it puts the party in an "untenable position".
"It is common knowledge that the Congress has been on the back foot for the last more than 32 years for its nefarious role in the killings of thousands of Sikhs in Delhi and across India in the aftermath of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984," Khaira said.
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"The denial of justice to the families of 1984 victims for the last more than three decades is not only a blot on the Indian democracy and its judiciary but it continuously haunts the Congress party and its tainted leaders responsible for the genocide," he said.
Therefore, in order to settle scores with the Canadian government for passing the Sikh genocide resolution, the Congress high command has "directed" Amarinder to oppose Sajjan on "flimsy grounds" by calling him a Khalistani sympathiser, the AAP leader said.
He claimed that the Congress apprehends if it does not oppose Sajjan now by whipping up sentiments over Khalistan, a similar resolution might be introduced in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in the ensuing budget session, creating "more embarrassment" to it.
"Secondly, Amarinder is also settling personal scores with Canada for not granting him permission to visit its soil for politicking and collecting funds. Hence, he is creating a false euphoria of Khalistan to oppose Sajjan," he claimed.
The AAP leader urged Amarinder to reconsider his "unjustified statement borne out of petty considerations" and welcome Sajjan to Punjab as a state guest.
"This will not only send a positive message to over 50 lakh NRI's settled across the globe but also improve bilateral ties between India (Punjab) and Canada," he said.
"By meaninglessly opposing Sajjan, he is not only humiliating the Punjabis and Sikh diaspora abroad but also back home," he added.
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