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The first-ever visit of Canada’s Minister of National Defence Harjit Singh Sajjan to India got mired into a spate of controversies with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh calling him a “Khalistan sympathiser” and the Defence Ministry’s change of stance on the customary Tri-Services Guard of Honour.
Sajjan, who is on a week-long visit to India, was in for a rude shock when the Punjab Chief Minister termed him and his father a “Khalistani sympathiser” and even went on to say that he would not meet the Canadian Minister during his visit to Amritsar.
“I have been given many labels throughout my life. I don’t want to be sucked into the internal politics of a province of a nation. My goal is to build relationships. I am proud of the fact that I was born here,” Sajjan said at an event organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) here on Tuesday.
Punjab visitSajjan is scheduled to leave for Amritsar on Wednesday to visit the Golden Temple and civil society organisations, and thereafter he will visit Chandigarh, where he will inaugurate the new office of the Consulate-General of Canada.
“It does hurt, but I’m not here for petty politics, my actions speak for me … These things don’t matter. My job is to be respectful and promote Canada’s interests and viewpoints,” he told reporters during a press conference.
Meanwhile, late on Monday night, a day before his arrival, the Defence Ministry said the Tri-Services Guard of Honour was cancelled and an official statement was issued. However, Sajjan was later given the customary honour.
On Tuesday, Sajjan met Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other Indian leaders.
During the ORF address, the Canadian Defence Minister said his visit to India would open a new chapter in bilateral defence ties boosting the strategic partnership.
“We are moving towards a reciprocal defence relationship. My visit here is about relationships. Nations don’t do relationships, people do. So I am here today. We have an opportunity to build on,” he added.
Sajjan is also slated to visit the Mumbai Port and meet several business and industry leaders.
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