Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh on Monday said the blacklist containing names of Sikhs who migrated to various countries during militancy must be revisited, arguing that all those who went abroad were not “anti-national” but most of them “actually job seekers”.
Mr Singh said he will take up the matter with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
He was speaking to media persons two days after his return from the United States.
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He said those who used “political asylum” to seek jobs should be allowed to visit India, though he advocated excluding “anti-nationals”.
The PCC chief said he had a “very successful” tour of the US and dismissed suggestions that there were protests or people opposed his visit.
He said the self-styled rights group ‘Sikhs for Justice’ never talked about justice to anyone.
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“There is a widespread perception among people there that the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) kingpin Gurpatwant Pannu is doing all this at the behest of the ISI and is being funded and financed by anti-India forces,” he said.
On cancelling his Canada visit, he said he had already hired services of a lawyer there and will go to that country soon after the matter has been sorted out.
He dismissed allegations levelled by the SFJ that he “prompted or patronised” the police officers allegedly involved in torture of people during the days of militancy.
On the list of PCC vice-presidents, general secretaries, and district presidents, released on Saturday, Mr Singh said he had tried to accommodate as many people as possible.
He also made it clear he had not removed any of the earlier office-bearers but had only made some additions.
He said some people left out in the original list and were also being accommodated. - PTI