Punjab Speaker to take up issue of AAP lawmakers sent back from Canada

Chandigarh, July 24 (IANS) Taking a serious note of the issue, Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K.P. Singh said on Tuesday that he will take up the matter of two state legislators being sent back from Ottawa airport by Canadian authorities.

The legislators, Amarjit Singh and Kultar Singh, both from the Aam Aadmi Party, were sent back by Canadian immigration authorities despite having the required visa and relevant travel documents. Both arrived back in India on Monday.

The Speaker told an AAP delegation, which met him here on Tuesday, that he will write to the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to take up this matter with the Canadian government.

"India and Canada are Commonwealth countries and they should concentrate on further strengthening of ties and cooperation. The Canadian Government should respect public representatives. This episode is very unfortunate and condemnable," he told the delegation, led by Leader of Opposition and senior AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira.

Khaira told media later that sending the two duly elected representatives from Punjab back from Canada in such a fashion was also an insult of the Punjab Assembly.