Former cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra’s brother Darshan Singh Dhaliwal has claimed that the authorities at the Indira Gandhi International airport in the national capital denied him entry and deported him to the US on the same flight on the intervening night of October 23-24.
A minister in the previous SAD government, Surjit Singh Rakhra claimed that his brother who arrived in India on a Chicago-Delhi direct flight at 6.30 pm on October 23-24 to attend his niece’s wedding was quizzed by the airport authorities for 5-6 hours before being sent back to the US on the same flight.
Rakhra added that the airport authorities said that this was being done as a punishment for financing langar for agitating farmers at Delhi borders.
Dhaliwal said: “When I asked why I was being denied permission to enter India, the immigration officials asked the same questions that they had been asking earlier too – why I organised the langar at Singhu border and who is paying for it. They said if I wanted to enter India, I should stop funding this langar.’
Darshan Singh Dhaliwal is one of the largest gasoline retailers in the United States. By the year 2004, he owned over 1,000 gas stations in 11 states and had annual sales of $2 billion (Rs 9,000 crore), which was then five times the size of Punjab’s yearly budget. In 1999, Dhaliwal made his entry into electoral politics in Punjab by running his younger brother Surjit Singh Rakhra on a SAD ticket in the Lok Sabha elections.
Punjab Parkash Singh Badal asks PM Modi to ‘intervene & invite’ Darshan Singh Dhaliwal as a goodwill gesture
Reacting to the incident, former Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal Tuesday, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ‘intervene & invite’ Dhaliwal as a goodwill gesture sending a positive signal among the farmers and their supporters.
Akali Dal patron S.Parkash S Badal condemned IGI authorities for sending back S.Darshan S Dhaliwal back to US after denying him entry to India. He asked PM Modi to intervene & invite Mr Dhaliwal as a goodwill gesture sending a positive signal among the farmers & their supporters. pic.twitter.com/TF036FvDSL
— Shiromani Akali Dal (@Akali_Dal_) October 26, 2021
Parkash Singh Badal claimed in the letter that Dhaliwal was ‘harassed’ for five hours before being denied entry. The authorities verbally stated his constant organising and financing langars for the farmers at Delhi boundaries as the primary cause for his deportation, he continued.
Justifying Dhaliwal’s actions, Badal further added that the ongoing farmers’ agitation is a ‘national movement’ and there is nothing wrong or illegal in helping those taking part in the outcry.
SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur slams govt for turning back Darshan Singh Dhaliwal
In Amritsar, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Bibi Jagir Kaur condemned the Indian government for allegedly turning back NRI Sikh Darshan Singh Dhaliwal Rakhra from Delhi airport.
The SGPC president said, “When he came to India from the United States to attend the wedding of his family member, Darshan Singh Dhaliwal was turned away from the airport without any reason.”
“This is major discrimination against the Sikhs, which cannot be tolerated. Darshan Singh Rakhra has been turned away in connection with the farmers’ movement,” she added.
Govt cancels visa of PIOs and OCIs for their role in anti-India protests
It may be noted here that the ministry of exterior affairs has cancelled the long-term visas of about 12 PIOs in Canada and Abroad Residents of India (OCI) cardholders who have been directly or indirectly trying to create chaos in the country by propagating false propaganda against India.
“Many Indians, including students, used offensive language against India during the protests that are in our notice. A dozen such individuals have been blacklisted and they will be repatriated from the Indian airports upon their arrival,” said sources privy to the case.
As part of the crackdown against those individuals endorsing violence in the name of supporting ‘farmer’ protests, besides Dhaliwal, a Spain based businessman Amrik Singh was flown back on his arrival at Delhi airport on October 21.
Amrik Singh while speaking to TOI said that he had been supporting the farmers protest from the very start. He said that he has also participated in protests in support of farmers in Spain. Singh, however, claimed that he did not support any activity which can be called anti-India.
Why one should stop supporting the so-called farmers protest
It is rather unfortunate that by offering financial support, individuals like Dhaliwal and Amrik Singh have been literally encouraging the protestors and rioters disguised as farmers, holding the nation to ransom in the name of protests against the central government’s agricultural laws. Such individuals have not only endorsed violence in the name of supporting ‘farmer’ protests but also fanned anti-national sentiments and fostered chaos by backing false propaganda against India.
Ever since the agitation against the farm laws have begun, these ‘protests’ had taken a violent turn on several occasions. The following are only a few of the countless instances of violence perpetrated by these so-called farmers.
Lynching of Lakhbir Singh at the Kundli border
Though the farmer leaders were quick to distance themselves from the incident, the recent brutal lynching of a Dalit man at the Singhu-Kundli border is a prime example of the nefarious agenda of these ‘farmers’ who have been camping for more months now against the three farm laws.
A badly mutilated corpse of a man, whose hands were chopped and legs cut, was suspended over a police barricade, reportedly by Nihang Sikhs for allegedly committing blasphemy. The victim has been identified as 35-year-old Lakhbir Singh.
Mukesh burnt alive at Tikri border
Prior to this grotesque incident, a 42-year-old Mukesh of Kasar village in Bahadurgarh was burnt alive in a farmers’ tent on the Tikri border by his fellow farmer protestors on June 16, 2021. Villagers had then alleged that Mukesh’s murder was a conspiracy to make him appear as a ‘martyr’ against the farm laws.
Lakhimpur Violence Case
On October 3, a ‘farmer’ mob attacked a BJP convoy with stones and sticks in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh. Amid the ensuing commotion, a vehicle was seen running over the protestors. Following that the angry mob of protestors had burned two vehicles, dragged the people inside the vehicle and had beaten them to death.
A total of eight people lost their lives in the violence. The incident turned into a major political drama over the past couple of weeks.
Tikri border rape case
A 25-year old woman who came from West Bengal to participate in the ‘farmers’ protest on April 12 was sexually assaulted at the protest site on the Tikri border. The victim who later got infected with the Covid-19 virus died at a private hospital in Bahadurgarh on April 30. Professional protestor Yogendra Yadav, who has been one of the pioneers of the ‘farmers’ protest, had on May 10 admitted to how he knew about the sexual harassment faced by the woman as well as her possible kidnapping by the culprits but turned a blind eye. Eventually, three farmer ‘activists’ were arrested who confessed to the crime.
Farmers turn violent, disrupt Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar’s event
On May 16, OpIndia reported how farmers at Hisar, Hayarana got violent and tried to disrupt a Covid-19 facility inauguration event attended by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. As per reports, a huge crowd gathered at the site all of a sudden charging at the security forces which resulted in a clash. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha protesting on the border had also backed the protest.
Republic Day violence
And, when it comes to the violent attacks perpetrated by protesting ‘farmers’, the insurrection and unbridled violence that took place on the 26th of January must be recalled.
On January 26, thousands of alleged farmers protesting against the recently enacted agriculture laws barged into Delhi for their tractor rally. They damaged not only public property and raised two flags with the Sikh symbols on the Red Fort but also injured several dozen police personnel.
There were visuals of one of the protestors throwing away Tricolour while trying to hoist the alien flag. The protestors at several places tried to mow down the police personnel with tractors. Police personnel were attacked with lathis, stones, swords and other sharp weapons by the protestors. RTI replies reveal that around 299 police personnel were injured, which is lesser than the actual number as some data was not revealed due to ongoing investigation.
Though as usual the farmer bodies had ‘distanced’ themselves from the rioting mob, they were seen implicitly instigating the ‘protestors’ to be prepared for violence.
Farmer protest ‘toolkit’ reveals global campaign to destabilise India
In fact, after the rampant violence on Republic Day, climate environmentalist Greta Thunberg inadvertently revealed the sinister global campaign against India after she shared a ‘Toolkit’ for those who want to support the ongoing ‘farmer protests’ in the country.
At first glance, the document clarified that it was not an organic wave of support but well-planned propaganda against the Indian government.
The document shared by Greta Thunberg listed a series of actions that people across the world could take to support the ‘farmer protests’ and also listed actions that had been undertaken. The document also made it clear that the global attempts to incite unrest in India had begun prior to the Republic Day riots.
In the ‘toolkit’, several names were mentioned as reliable sources – some were media outlets, others, journalists and propagandists. The names of Indian media houses and journalists included The Wire, The Scroll, The NewsLaundry, AltNews, Faye D Souza and several other propagandists who were extending support to the rioters of 26th January and also, spreading fake news regarding the farm laws passed by the Modi government.
OpIndia had extensively reported on how, per the documents leaked by Greta Thunberg, the tweets by Rihanna and Greta were in no way spontaneous and had been planned by anti-India propagandists well in advance. We had also reported the violent antecedents of Greta Thunberg and the organisations she is associated with, that lent support to the violent protests in India.
