Amid reports of cold shoulder by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Government to his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is all set to welcome the 46-year-old Canadian Prime Minister in Amritsar.
Earlier, Amarinder himself had publically accused Trudeau’s Cabinet colleagues of being Khalistani sympathisers.
Amarinder has not only asked the authorities concerned to roll the red carpet for the Canadian Premier, but also delegated one of his Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu to receive him at Sri Guru Ramdas International Airport at Amritsar, along with the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri.
All eyes — both in India and Canada — are glued on the meeting between Amarinder and Trudeau. Trudeau has visited Agra (Uttar Pradesh), and Sabarmati Ashram (Gujarat).
Amarinder is scheduled to meet Trudeau in an Amritsar hotel after they pay obeisance at the Golden Temple - Sikhs’ holiest shrine. Six Canadian Ministers, of which four are Sikhs, are also expected to accompany Trudeau during his meeting with Amarinder.
Trudeau has already made it clear that he wanted his visit to the Golden Temple to be simple and a low-key affair. Sidhu is scheduled to accompany the Canadian Prime Minister during his visit to the Darbar Sahib and the Partition Museum where Congress’ lok Sabha MP from Amritsar Gurjeet Singh Aujla would also join them.
“Punjab Government accords full importance to the ties it has with the Government of Canada and is committed wholeheartedly to further strengthen the mutual co-operation between the two governments,” said the Government spokesperson.
Meanwhile, preparations by the Punjab Government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) were in full swing for the visit of the Canadian Prime Minister to the Golden Temple.
A series of meetings between the officials of the SGPC and the Punjab government were held to provide foolproof security to the visiting dignitary on Tuesday. A thick security blanket was put in place in and around the Golden Temple, officials said.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is slated to welcome the Canadian PM in Amritsar. “look forward to meeting Canadian Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau in Amritsar on Wednesday said, I’m hopeful that this meeting will help strengthen the close Indo-Canadian business ties as well as the deep-rooted people-to-people relations between our two countries,” Singh had tweeted, adding that instructions were issued to the state administration to roll out the red carpet for the visiting dignitary.
District administration officials said arrangements for cleaning of roads, removing illegal encroachments were being undertaken on war footing.
Deputy Commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha assured that the general public, including tourists, would not face any difficulty due to the Canadian PM’s visit. SGPC president Gobind Singh longowal held a series of meetings to discuss the preparations being made for Trudeau’s welcome and also issued dress code instructions for its officials and members of SGPC’s internal security task force.
longowal said former deputy chief minister of Punjab and president of the SAD Sukhbir Badal and his wife Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal would receive the Canadian PM at the main gate of Golden Temple. According to SGPC chief secretary Dr Roop Singh, Trudeau would partake of langar at Guru Ram Das langar Hall (the community kitchen of the Golden Temple).
He would then be honoured at the information centre, Roop Singh said.
The SGPC has arranged a specially crafted 24-karat gold-plated portrait of the shrine and a gold-plated ‘Siri Sahib’ (a small six-inch sword) to be presented to the Canadian PM along with a ‘siropa’ (robe of honour) and a shawl. His wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau would be presented a woollen shawl and a set of religious books.