Politics
Everything Said By Trudeau In Canadian Parliament Can't Be Rejected Easily: SGPC On Canada's Allegations Against India
Bhuvan Krishna
Sep 26, 2023, 01:32 PM | Updated 01:32 PM IST
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The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has expressed serious concern over the allegations made by Canada against India regarding the killing of a Khalistani leader.
The SGPC believes that statements made by the prime minister in any country's Parliament should not be easily dismissed.
The body also criticised political groups that are creating an agenda against Sikhs in order to polarise voters.
During an executive meeting of the SGPC, a special resolution was passed stating that statements made by a prime minister in another country's parliament should be considered factual within the framework of that country's constitution, rather than being seen as common statements.
It stated, “Everything said by the Prime Minister in the Parliament cannot be rejected easily. The truth of the allegations made by the Prime Minister of Canada should be brought to the light of the people through a sincere approach by both the countries by going beyond politics. If this case is suppressed only because of politics, it will be considered as injustice to human rights.”
Recently, Canada and India expelled a senior diplomat each following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusation of Indian government involvement in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey.
India has strongly rejected these allegations, calling them "absurd and motivated".
The resolution also strongly condemned the hate propaganda targeted at Sikhs and Punjab. It highlighted the role of mainstream media and social media platforms in spreading this harmful narrative.
The media's focus on the India-Canada issue has been solely on character assassination of Sikhs, according to the resolution.
In the resolution, the SGPC executive calls on the Indian government to take the issue seriously and take action against those who tarnish the image of Sikhs.
They emphasised the importance of protecting the reputation and dignity of the Sikh community.
SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami emphasised that the Sikh community holds respect for all religions and does not harbour any enmity towards anyone.
He expressed concern over certain individuals using the current situation to create divisions among communities, calling for immediate action to stop this.
Dhami also stressed the need to address the forces that are tarnishing the image of Sikhs and take appropriate measures to end the growing mistrust within the Sikh community.
In a separate statement, Gurcharan Singh Grewal, the general secretary of SGPC, highlighted the creation of an environment aimed at defaming the Sikhs.
He questioned the stance of Sikh leaders in the Bhartiya Janta Party, who claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been beneficial for Sikhs, asking where they stand on the issue of hate propaganda.
Grewal expressed concern that an agenda is being manufactured to oppress and suppress Sikhs, urging the people to remember the sacrifices made by Sikhs for the country, particularly the war widows in Punjab.
The SGPC executive made a decision to honour the lawyers who fought for the cases of Sikhs imprisoned in Jodhpur Jail, as well as those who provided assistance to them following Operation Blue Star at Akal Takht.
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Bhuvan Krishna is Staff Writer at Swarajya.
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