Liberal MP Claims Fellow Party Member Made Threats Regarding India-Sikh Motion

December 7, 2024 TruthUSA

A Liberal MP shares that he faced threats and confrontation for rejecting another Liberal MP’s motion seeking to recognize a series of violent attacks against Sikhs in India as genocide.

Chandra Arya brought this up in the House on Dec. 6 after MP Sukh Dhaliwal tried to achieve unanimous consent to declare the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India as a genocide against the Sikh community.

In June 1984, then-Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered Operation Blue Star, resulting in the deaths of Sikh activists in the country. She was then assassinated in retaliation later that year.

Arya raised a point of order in the House, claiming that Dhaliwal threatened him and that another member aggressively confronted him in the lobby. He also reported this incident.

Expressing his views as a Member of Parliament, Arya stated, “I should be able to freely voice my opinions in the House without being intimidated by words or actions of my colleagues.”

The issue arose when Dhaliwal proposed the motion to recognize the Sikh killings in India as genocide. During the legislative proceedings, some MPs opposed this motion.

Dhaliwal later stated on the X platform that some Conservative MPs and one Liberal MP opposed his motion.

The Epoch Times reached out to Dhaliwal for a response to Arya’s complaint but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

In his own X post, Arya mentioned that “my single objection was enough to prevent this motion from being approved.”

He further stated, “There have been several attempts, both within the parliament and outside, to prevent me from openly expressing the concerns of Hindu-Canadians.”

Encouraging Hindu-Canadians to engage with their MPs, Arya urged them to ensure their representatives oppose similar motions.

Reflecting on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India, Arya acknowledged the brutality but argued against labeling it as genocide, citing potential negative impacts on Hindu-Sikh relations in Canada.

The friction between Dhaliwal and Arya coincides with heightened tensions between Sikh Khalistan activists and Hindus in Canada.

The Khalistan movement advocates for the creation of an independent Sikh state called Khalistan in northern India.

On Nov. 3, clashes erupted between Khalistan activists and Hindu groups outside a Hindu temple in Brampton, Ontario, as Sikh separatists protested an Indian consular visit. The unrest extended to Mississauga, leading to three arrests by the police.

Additional protests occurred at the Brampton temple on Nov. 4, with reports of weapons at the scene.

In October, in connection to the murder of a Sikh independence activist in Surrey, B.C., Canada six Indian diplomats were expelled. Both countries expelled diplomats in response to escalating tensions between them.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly stated that the RCMP identified six individuals as “persons of interest” in the activist’s murder case.

India has denied any involvement as alleged by Canada in this case.

Noe Chartier and Andrew Chen contributed to this report.

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