Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana KP Singh has sought action from Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj over refusal of entry into Canada to two members of the Legislative Assembly Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Amarjit Singh Sandoa (both of Aam Aadmi Party).
In a letter to the Union minister, the Speaker said all legislative bodies of India and Canada are branches of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and members of the legislative bodies in both the countries are members of CPA.
“On the one hand, we strive for increasing CPA activities like brotherhood, mutual understanding and cooperation, exchange of experiences and improvement of ties etc. between members of legislative bodies of both the countries, but on the other hand our MLAs are treated differently and humiliated,’’ he said.
The Speaker said when public representatives had disclosed their identity at Ottawa Airport, the Canadian authorities should have facilitated them as they had valid visas.
The Speaker stressed that whatever the circumstances, the rude and discourteous behaviour shown to the Punjab MLAs by the Canadian authorities is a matter of grave concern.
He said the Indian government does not mete out such treatment to public representatives of Canada or other countries when they come to visit India.
Seeking appropriate action in the matter, Singh urged Swaraj to take cognizance of the incident and consider taking it up with the Canadian government. A delegation of Aam Aadmi Party had met the Punjab Assembly Speaker and sought intervention in the matter on 24 July.