Chandigarh/Ludhiana (August 18, 2012): Badal Dal president and Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal’s much-hyped Canada visit scheduled for September has been cancelled, reports “YesPunjab” (YP).
However, it is said that Badal party’s Secretary and Anandpur Sahib MLA Dr. Daljeet Singh Cheema has claimed that the visit has not been cancelled, rather it was just postponed.
According to reports Sukhbir Badal was expected to lead a delegation in the form of Trade Mission in September to different cities of Canada.
“The programme for visit was in such an advanced stage that the State governments of British Columbia and Ontario were contacted to arrange meetings of the Deputy Chief Minister with the powers that be, there”, reports YP.
It is considered that the Canada visit of the Badal Dal president has been cancelled on the advice of some NRI supporters, who had indicated that he may land himself in trouble by visiting Canada, as there was every apprehension that he also may have to face a situation like Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had to face while on his recent visit to US.
It is pertinent to mention here that a Human rights advocacy group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and some members of Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar, had surprised Badal Dal and it’s supporters when they not only filed a human rights lawsuit against him in a US Court but also got the summons for the same physically served on him during his visit. Badal is expected to respond to the summons by August 30.
It may be recalled here that Vikram JS Bajwa, president of Indian Overseas Congress, CA and Dr. Rajwant Singh Dhillon, president of Punjab Canadian Foundation who had held a joint meeting of Punjab Canadian Foundation, Indian Overseas Congress, senior members of Shiromani Akali Dal, Executives of Vancouver Gurdwaras, prominent NRIs from West Coast, Seattle had advised Sukhbir Singh Badal to cancel his forthcoming Canada visit citing the lawsuit filed by SFJ against the Chief Minister.