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Capt looking forward to meet Canadian PM

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday said he was looking forward to meaningful talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin…

Capt looking forward to meet Canadian PM

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (PHOTO: Facebook)

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday said he was looking forward to meaningful talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in view of the recent statements of his Sikh ministers. Speaking to reporters in Amritsar, the CM pointed out that Trudeau’s ministers had categorically disassociated themselves from the Khalistani separatists.

The unequivocal statements of Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, clearly distancing themselves from the Khalistani movement, had paved the way for meaningful discussions with Trudeau to strengthen ties between Punjab and Canada, said Amarinder. The CM had earlier welcomed the statements of Sajjan and Sohi, while congratulating the Canadian PM for creating a favourable environment against secessionist forces believed to be operating from his country.

Sajjan’s statement that he and fellow Sikh minister Amarjit Sohi “neither sympathise with nor espouse the Sikh nationalist movement, which is bent on creating a separate country called Khalistan in India’s Punjab region” indicated that the Canadian PM had clearly sent out a strong signal within his party and government that he would not allow his country’s soil to be used for any secessionist activities, the CM had said.

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Earlier ahead of Canadian PM’s India visit, the CM had said he was ready to meet Trudeau but not his ministers, branded “radicals” by Amarinder in the past, who were going to accompany him. Amarinder had opened a front against Canadian ministers of Indian origin, Harjit Singh Sajjan and Navdeep Singh Bains, for their alleged pro-Khalistan stand. Amarinder had refused to meet Sajjan during the latter’s visit to Punjab last year and had even accused him of being a “Khalistani sympathiser.”

Meanwhile, in response to another question, Amarinder made it clear that he was committed to completing the process of farm loan waiver for 10.25 lakh farmers, as announced by his government, by November this year.

The interests of the farmers were a top priority for his government, said the CM, adding that despite the financial constraints, which had somewhat slowed down the process, he would ensure that the November 2018 deadline for this is met at any cost.

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