Harjit Singh Sajjan lands in Amritsar, no top guns to welcome him

AMRITSAR: No senior government functionaries, MP, MLAs or the district administration brass were there to welcome Canadian defence minister Harjit Singh Sajjan on his arrival at Amritsar's international airport on Wednesday.
Only the Deputy Commissioner of Police Amarjit Singh Bajwa and Ajnala SubDivisional Magistrate Anupreet Kaur were there to receive the foreign dignitary.
However, four dozen Sikh radicals representing Shiromani Youth Akali Dal (Amritsar), Sikh Youth Federa tion, Bhindranwala and students of Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal were at the airport holding placards welcoming Sajjan.
The Canadian minister arrived at Sri Guru Ramdas International airport at around 6.30 pm on a private airlines flight and was immediately taken by the Canadian High Commission staff to a private hotel.
When he neared the `arrival' gate of the airport, the radicals began raising slogans in his praise. Sajjan acknowledged this with folded hands and a smile. The radical Sikh leaders were unhappy that they were kept away and not allowed to bestow a siropa on the Canadian minister.
“District administration prevented us from getting close to Canadian defence minister but we still managed to show our presence,“ said Balwant Singh Gopala, president of Federation. SAD (A) leader Harbir Singh Sandhu said they were proud of Sajjan and would hand over a memorandum to him on Thursday.
After CM Captain Amarinder Singh's refusal to meet Sajjan for being `Khalistan sympathiser“, none of the Congress party's leaders, including the local MP, MLAs or any other party leader came to welcome him.
Even the District Public Relation Office (DPRO) `boycotted' Canadian defence minister's arrival and didn't inform the media about his programme. However, in the evening, the DPRO circulated a SGPC's message on Whatsapp, informing media of Sajjan's programme for Thursday.
According to the programme, the Canadian minister would be visiting Golden Temple and Pingalwara from 8 am to 10 am on Thursday and leaving for Jalandhar by road at 11am.