BY MATA PRESS SERVICE

One of Premier Christy Clark’s biggest Indo-Canadian supporters, former MP Sukh Dhaliwal, won’t be going with her to India, because he has been denied a visa, sources told the South Asian Post.
Dhaliwal, a Liberal MP who lost his Newton-North Delta seat in the last elections, has been blacklisted for ‘agitating’ against his homeland.
The South Asian Post understands that officials from the Premier’s office who have been planning details of the trip have been told that Dhaliwal is not welcome in India.
Clark is planning to push B.C. opportunities in China and India next month with a high-powered delegation from B.C.
Normally, in such trade trips to India, the team is packed with Indo-Canadian MPs and MLAs to cash in on their connections and showcase Canada’s multiculturalism.
For Indo-Canadian politicians, these trips to their homeland is also an opportunity to exhibit their influence and power base in India.
“Dhaliwal would have been on this trip...no doubt about it..he is one Christy’s closest friends and it would have been a great opportunity for him, especially in Punjab,” said a source close to Dhaliwal.
“But as I understand it, his visa has been denied at various levels...This is a problem for the premier as she can’t or has not done anything to include him in the delgation,” said the source.
The Indian consulate in Vancouver will not comment on visa rejections.
Dhaliwal who has been approached to run provincially for Christy Clark’s governing provincial Liberals has run afoul of the Indian government because he has been pushing the Canadian government to recognize the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India as an act of genocide
Over 3,000 members of the Sikh community were killed in anti-Sikh riots in Delhi in November, 1984 in the aftermath of the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards at her residence in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issued an apology for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots during his recent Canada visit had has urged the Sikh community to put the events of 1984 behind them and move on.
Dhaliwal, who moved to Canada in 1984, and Andrew Kania, who represents the Punjabi-dominant Brampton West constituency on the outskirts of Toronto have said their petition has been signed by 10,000 people even as their former party boss Michael Ignatieff has condemned the move.
“The failure of successive Indian governments to bring to justice those responsible for mass revenge attacks on Sikhs after the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi 25 years ago is a severe blot on India’s legal system and democracy,’’ the Globe and Mail newspaper quoted Bains as saying.
The petition when presented in Ottawa drew angry reaction from many quarters.
“What happened to innocent Sikhs in 1984 was tragic event for which no guilty should be spared and we have been told that the Indian government is taking steps. But the petition is a mischievous and divisive step by these individuals who want to harm the Indo-Canadian community. The petition is only to promote their own agenda,’’ said Indo-Canadian leader and parliamentary secretary Deepak Obhrai.
“The Indian prime minister, who is the most respected Sikh in the world has made statements on this and the Indian government is addressing the issue. But these guys want to use Canada to divide India,’’ he said.
The Canada India Foundation (CIF), which is an advocacy group for better India-Canada relations, also condemned the petition as “calculated to inflame anti-India sentiments among the Sikh community.’’
Calling it “yet another measure by an extremist fringe element to foment division with and within the Sikh community in Canada,’’ CIF spokesperson Manoj Pundit said: “The presentation of the petition in Parliament is ill-advised and ill-intentioned since there is no justification for Canada to take the position that the petition demands.
Dhaliwal, on his part said then :”On behalf of Canadians, I am here presenting a petition on the tragic events of 1984 in India,’’ adding that “many Canadians across the country are marking this solemn occasion.’’
Reading the motion, reportedly signed by 10,000 people, Dhaliwal said, “The petitioners call on the government of Canada to recognize that an organized campaign of violence, rape and killings took place in India in November of 1984 against the Sikh community, resulting in the deaths of thousands.’’
He said the Canadian government should “call upon the government of India to take measures to bring all persons responsible for the organized campaign of violence to justice. This includes criminal proceedings against the responsible persons following the due process of law.’’
Concluding the motion, he said, “Finally, (Canada should) recognize that this organized killing resulting in deaths of thousands is genocide as per UN convention on the prevention and punishment of the kind of genocide.’’
Dhaliwal was beaten by Jinny Sims (Joginder Kaur) of the New Democratic Party (NDP) in Newton-North Delta.