- By Abhirupa Kundu
- Wed, 20 Sep 2023 07:43 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Amid escalating tensions between India and Canada over the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of New Delhi's involvement in killing of a Khalistani Terrorist in his country, the chairman of All-India Anti-Terrorist Front, MS Bitta asserted that there will never be a separate state of Khalistan.
The Sikh leader said that the community will not tolerate "if someone tries to peddle an agenda to break or splinter India". He said that such attempts by a few people to tarnish the Sikh community in present-day India which is more "assertive and aspirational" will not be tolerated.
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"The Canadian government is patronising the Khalistanis for votes. Khalistan could not be formed despite the movement and we will never allow it to become a reality," Bitta told news agency ANI.
"I want to tell such people that India is no longer the country it used to be. We will not tolerate any attempts to show our community in a bad light. We won't allow any agenda peddled at Pakistan's behest to succeed," he added.
Bitta urged members of all gurdwaras across India and beyond to call a meeting whenever a demand for Khalistan is raised and defeat such "nefarious ploys to divide" the country. "They should come out in public and declare once and for all that we do not aspire for a separate Khalistan," he said.
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday expressed concern over the developments in the aftermath of Trudeau's claim that India agents were linked to the killing of the separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada's British Columbia in June.
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"Today, the Sikhs are settled across the globe. Their human rights as well as religious concerns are of paramount importance for us. The Sikh community has been through many painful times, including the June 1984 military attack on Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib and Akal Takht Sahib, the 1984 Sikh genocide and the extra-judicial killings of Sikh youths. Members of our community across the globe can never forget the pain inflicted by these horrific episodes," the SGPC said in a statement.