On September 14, netizens shared photographs of Aam Aadmi Party MLA and Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan with a Khalistani leader identified as Harjit Singh Bajwa from Canada.
In the posts shared on social media platforms, it has been alleged that Sandhwan met Bajwa during a fundraiser dinner organized in Canada. Bajwa is also President of a Gurudwara in Montreal, and the said dinner was allegedly organised by him.
OpIndia looked into Bajwa’s activities. We noticed that Bajwa is a known Khalistani leader in Canada. He uses his position to propagate Khalistani ideology and incites Sikhs into demanding a separate nation, Khalistan.
A video of Bajwa from August 15, 2022, also went viral on social media, where he was seen raising ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ slogans in front of the Indian Consulate. The crowd present there also burnt the Indian National flag in his presence.
In another video shared by Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar, LaSalle, on June 4, 2020, Bajwa talked about former Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh’s remarks about Khalistan. In his address, Bajwa extended his support for designated Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu of Sikhs For Justice and said no one could stop Referendum 2020 from happening in India.
Harjit Singh regularly shares posts related to Khalistan on his social media accounts. On September 6, he shared a video on Referendum 2020 to urge people to vote in favour of Khalistan on September 18 in Brampton, Canada.
On September 9, he shared a video of OMNI Punjab where he could be seen with Khalistan supporters demanding a separate nation. The ‘protest’ took place outside Indian Consulate in Ontario, Canada.
In the past as well, Bajwa has openly shared videos and posts supporting the Khalistan movement. OpIndia could not verify if and when Sandhwan met Bajwa.
AAP accused of courting pro-Khalistani elements
It is noteworthy to mention this is not the first time that AAP has been accused of aligning with pro-Khalistan elements. In the run-up to the Punjab elections, former AAP member Kumar Vishwas had levelled explosive allegations against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, whom he accused of hobnobbing with Khalistanis and seeking their support in elections.
Speaking about the deep-rooted separatism in Kejriwal’s mind, Vishwas had said, “He even made dangerous statements in front of me that everyone knows in Punjab. One day when I asked him about referendum 2020 that was being funded by ISI and other elements across the world, he told me not to worry and said, “Either I will become Chief Minister of the state or I will become first Prime Minister of an independent nation (Khalistan).”
Gul Panag had made similar allegations
In 2018, similar allegations were made by actress Gul Panag 2018. Referring to Khalistani supporters in Punjab as K Gang, she had said, “Poorly calculated flirtation that was. One I warned against. Repeatedly. It’s because they didn’t ‘get’ or ‘understand’ Punjab. I thought the K gang had electoral weightage. All of us from Punjab knew better. But alas!”
Anti-India outfit SFJ claimed Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP used Khalistani votes and funds to win Punjab
Earlier this year, following AAP’s victory in Punjab elections, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of the anti-India outfit SFJ, alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had used Khalistan votes and funds to win Punjab.
Khalistani terrorist Pannun had further added that it is an open secret that AAP has been heavily funded and supported by pro-Khalistan Sikhs from the USA, Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia.