Those questioning my stand on Khalistan lack national pride: Amarinder

Defending his decision not to meet the Canadian defense minister during his forthcoming visit to India, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday said those questioning his stand lack national pride.

In a statement, the CM said the reactions of  showed that these outfits, including the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were completely lacking in national pride.

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Amarinder asserted that the state government was regularly tracking and monitoring the activities of Khalistani sympathizers and others having any kind of links to extremist forces inimical to India.

"Our assessments and decisions are based on these reports,"  the CM said reiterating that while he was ready to provide security and protocol treatment to Harjit Singh Sajjan, during his proposed visit to India later this month, there was no question of meeting the Canadian minister.

Amarinder made it clear that the security and protocol treatment to be provided to Sajjan, when he visits Punjab, would be at par with what would be accorded to the Indian defence minister on a visit to Canada.

It will be neither more nor less, while keeping in view the threat perceptions against Sajjan, the CM added.

Amarinder came down heavily on the SGPC for their criticism of his stance, saying the religious body which, he said, claims to protect the interests of Sikhs and the ethos of Sikhism, seemed to have forgotten the treatment meted out to its leaders by hardliners in Canada.

"Do they have no sense of pride, he asked, adding that those opposing his principled stand on the issue were encouraging Khalistani sympathizers, thus fanning the possibility of the revival of Sikh extremism," the CM said.

Countering SAD leader Sukhbir Badal’s statement dubbing him as ‘anti-Sikh’, the CM said he had not expressed antagonism towards all Sikhs settled in Canada but only towards a miniscule population which is sympathetic to the Khalistani cause.

Reacting to AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira statement on the issue, Punjab Power & Irrigation Minister and senior Congress leader Rana Gurjit Singh said AAP’s own Khalistani sympathies had already been exposed in the run-up to the Punjab assembly elections.