Capt condemns racial slur against Sikh Canadian Defence Minister

Saturday, 06/02/2016

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=149806&boxid=58166&uid=&dat=2016-02-06

Chandigarh : Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday condemned the racial slur against Indian born Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan in the Canadian parliament. “Every Indian in general and every Sikh in particular feels hurt over the racial slur against Sajjan whose contribution to the Canadian nation remains unparalleled,” Capt Amarinder said in a statement here. He said: “The remarks made by the opposition MP Jason Kenney are clearly and undoubtedly racial and outrageous and he must apologise for the same and in case he doesn’t, he must be admonished and reprimanded in accordance with the Canadian legislative business procedures.”

The PCC president pointed out that Sajjan was a decorated soldier who had served in Afghanistan and Bosnia. “It was only because Sajjan was from a different race and ethnicity that the opposition Conservative lawmaker made an outrageously racial remark against him which must be condemned by everybody,” he observed. The former Punjab Chief Minister regretted that this happened inside the parliament of Canada where the Indian-Punjabi origin people have made immense contribution towards its progress and development and have been committed and integral part of the society there.

“Sajjan’s is a rare and an illustrious example as how a hardworking Punjabi contributed towards the nation building and rose to become the Defence Minister of the country after participating in military campaigns in most difficult places like Afghanistan and Bosnia and he certainly deserves respect and honour and not the racial slur,” Capt Amarinder said.

Expresses grief over soldiers’ death
Capt Amarinder also expressed profound grief over the tragic death of one JCO and nine soldiers of the 19 Madras Regiment of the Indian army in Siachen after they were buried alive in an avalanche. Expressing his condolences to the bereaved families, he said, entire nation was in shock and grief over the loss of the precious lives and it stood by them over the tragic loss. “It is virtually impossible for anyone to imagine the tortuous and hostile terrain our soldiers are confronted with while defending our borders on the highest altitudes with sub-zero temperatures round the year,” he said, while adding that their sacrifices will always be remembered by the nation.

Cong leaders take on AAP
Chandigarh: Punjab Congress on Friday asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as to why the party was so much obsessively scared of the PCC president Capt Amarinder Singh that their day begins and ends with only trying to find faults in what Capt Amarinder does or does not do, instead of minding their own business and setting their own house in order. “The way AAP leaders are obsessively trying to malign Capt Amarinder, they seem to be suffering from a congenital fear and phobia of him which they are finding very difficult to come out of,” the party leaders said. In a joint statement, senior Congress legislators Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Rana Gurjeet Singh and Sukh Sarkaria wondered as why were all the AAP leaders right from those still in their ‘neo-natal stages’ like Durgesh Pathak and the ‘political deadwood’ like Sukhpal Khaira and Sucha Singh Chhotepur only talking about Capt Amarinder and nothing else.