Canada: Will attend Sikh-separatist rallies if opportunity comes, says Jagmeet Singh
Ottawa, Mar 16 (IBNS): New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh has stated he will attend Sikh-separatist rallies if such opportunities come in future, media reports said.
Singh's comment came in the wake of reports of the NDP leader's presence in the San Franciso Sikh-separatist rally in 2015.
In a recent interview with CTV News, Singh said: "When I have an opportunity to speak at events, I speak from that position, where I can take that opportunity to share my beliefs and my ideas, and if I don’t, the other side is I could leave those opportunities vacant and someone else can talk and share other ideas that maybe I don’t agree with."
"People, when they feel that pain and suffering, it can go to negative places; people can feel shame about who they are… I always want to take the opportunity to speak to those people, because I’ve been there before, I know what that journey is like," he added.
Amid the ongoing row over his attendance at a Sikh rally, Singh has condemned all acts of terrorism.
Singh has condemned any terrorist act without regarding anyone who is responsible for it.
However, Singh went to a defensive mode as the reports over his presence surfaced.
He said the rally was organised to commemorate the death of Sikhs in India in 1984 following the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Singh also termed the attack on Sikhs as "genocide".
But Singh is not the only Canadian leader to be caught in the Sikh separatism row.
Gandhi was assassinated by few of her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.
Post assassination, several Sikhs were killed across the country.
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