Arya highlights the socio-economic contributions of Hindu Canadians amid rising tensions.
In Short:
- Canadian MP Chandra Arya responds to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's remarks.
- Arya asserts Canada's identity as home to Hindus from around the world.
- Highlights contributions of Hindu communities to Canada's socio-economic development.
- Condemns Khalistani extremists for polluting Canada's multicultural fabric.
- Raises concerns about rising hate-fueled violence against Hindu-Canadian communities.
- Urges Canadian law enforcement to address threats from Khalistani extremists.
In response to a video by separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, which urged him and his Hindu friends to return to India, Canadian MP Chandra Arya declared on Wednesday that Canada is their land, currently being tainted by Khalistani extremists.
Arya emphasized the significant contributions made by Hindus from all over the world to Canada’s socio-economic development. He noted that Hindus have immigrated to Canada from South Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and other regions, and have greatly enriched the nation's multicultural fabric.
"We Hindus have come to our wonderful country Canada from all parts of the world. From every country in South Asia, many countries in Africa and the Caribbean, and many other parts of the world, we have come here and Canada is our land," Arya stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
He criticized Khalistani extremists, accusing them of abusing the freedoms guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights. Arya expressed concern over the increasing incidents of hate-fueled violence targeting Hindu-Canadian communities, citing examples of vandalism at Hindu temples, such as the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton, and hateful graffiti in the Greater Toronto Area and British Columbia.
Arya also highlighted that last year, Pannun publicly called for Hindus to return to India and that Khalistan supporters had celebrated the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Brampton and Vancouver, brandishing images of deadly weapons.
"As I have always been saying, Khalistani extremists seem to get away with ease with their public rhetoric of hate and violence. Again, let me put it on record. Hindu Canadians are legitimately concerned. Like a broken record, I again call on Canadian law enforcement agencies to take this issue seriously before these rhetorics get translated into physical action against Hindu Canadians," Arya added.