Chandra Arya, an MP of Canada, claimed that he was the only Member of Parliament present in the House of Commons to oppose the motion that attempted to describe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as genocide. He warned that "politically powerful Khalistani lobby" would likely attempt to push the motion again.
He said on Friday that he was the only MP present in the House of Commons to oppose the motion, blocking its passage.
He said the continued threats and pressure he receives for speaking about concerns of the Hindu-Canadian community makes him believe that the "politically powerful Khalistani lobby" would push the motion again.
She says she posted on X today that, "Today, Member of Parliament from Surrey-Newton tried to get the UK Parliament to declare the 1984 riots in India against Sikhs as genocide. He moved for unanimous consent to table his motion in the House of Commons. I was the only Member in the House who said NO. It was enough to make the motion not be agreed with.
He further said, "Just after this, I was threatened within the Parliament building for raising and saying no. There have been several attempts, both within the Parliament and outside, to stop me from freely and publicly voicing the concerns of Hindu-Canadians. While I am proud of having stopped this divisive agenda from succeeding today, we cannot afford to be complacent. Next time, we may not be as fortunate."
He said Khalistan might attempt to present this motion again.
"The politically powerful Khalistani lobby will undoubtedly try again to push for Parliament to label the 1984 riots as genocide. There is no guarantee I will be in the House to block it the next time any other Member, from any political party, attempts to bring this motion forward," Arya said.
He asked Hindu-Canadians to act actively and have a say with their MPs such that the motion does not pass in the future.
"I urge all Hindu-Canadians to act now. Reach out to your local Members of Parliament and ensure they commit to voting down this motion should it again come up for consideration in the future. The atrocities committed in 1984 against Sikhs in India after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards remain undeniably barbaric," the Canadian MP further said.
Arya further condemned the loss of lives in the riots but emphasized that terming the riots as genocide would be "misleading and unjustified".
He said, "Thousands of innocent Sikhs lost their lives in those horrific events, and we all condemn this brutality without reservation. However, labelling these tragic and dreadful riots as genocide is misleading and unjustified."
"That sort of an allegation actually works in favor of the agenda of anti-Hindu forces and potentially threatens to estrange the Hindu community and the Sikh community here in Canada. We should not let such divisive elements win for what will destabilize harmony." Only by doing this could we prevent the Parliament in Canada from declaring the riots of 1984 genocide, by ensuring that a significant number of MPs say NO when unanimous consent is sought.
While endorsing the Hindu community's safety, Arya said: "Once again, I appeal to the Hindu-Canadian people to go out and urge your respective MPs to demand outright opposition for this Khalistani-driven narrative. Let's stand up united against such an anti-Hindu agenda to protect our communities."
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