CHANDIGARH: The Canadian Parliament has rejected a motion to declare the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as genocide, despite strong opposition from lawmakers such as Chandra Arya. Arya claimed he faced threats within the Parliament building for opposing the motion, which he alleged was influenced by a “politically powerful Khalistani lobby.” He called on Hindu Canadians to engage with their local Members of Parliament and seek their commitment to oppose such motions.The motion was introduced by New Democratic Party (ND) MP Sukh Dhaliwal before the House of Commons standing committee on foreign affairs and international development.The Indian-origin Member of Parliament Chandra Arya who opposed the move, stated that he was the only MP present in the House of Commons to oppose the motion thus blocking its passage. Araya wrote on X, ” Today, the Member of Parliament from Surrey-Newton attempted to have the Parliament declare the 1984 riots in India against Sikhs as a genocide”, he said. “He sought unanimous consent from all Members in the House of Commons to pass his motion. I was the only Member present in the House to say NO, and my single objection was enough to prevent this motion from being approved,” Arya explained. “Immediately after this, I was threatened inside the parliament building for standing up 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,” he added.”While I am proud in having stopped this divisive agenda from succeeding today, we cannot afford to be complacent. Next time, we may not be as fortunate. 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,’’ he wrote.He further urged all Hindu Canadians to act now and reach out to their local Members of Parliament and secure their commitment to oppose this motion whenever it arises. ” The 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India, which followed the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards, were undeniably barbaric. Thousands of innocent Sikhs lost their lives in those horrific events, and we all condemn this brutality without reservation,’’ he said.The post of Arya reads, “However, labeling these tragic and dreadful riots as genocide is misleading and unjustified. Such an assertion fuels the agenda of anti-Hindu forces and risks driving a wedge between the Hindu and Sikh communities in Canada. We must not let these divisive elements succeed in their efforts to destabilize harmony” he said. He further explained that the only way to prevent Canada’s Parliament from declaring the 1984 riots as genocide is by ensuring that every MP—or at least a significant number of MPs—stand up and says NO when unanimous consent is sought.
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