NEW DELHI: Punjab minister
Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday said that he did not know who is Gopal Singh Chawla, the Khalistan separatist who was present during the ceremony to inaugurate the Kartarpur corridor in
Pakistan.
Chawla, who was shown shaking hands with
Pakistan Army Chief
Qamar Javed Bajwa, later posted a picture with Sidhu on his
Facebook account.
Upon his return from Pakistan to India on Thursday,when reporters confronted Sidhu about his photograph with Chawla, Sidhu said,"I have been clicked at least 5 to 10,000 times in a day. I do not know who is Gopal Chawla."
Chawla is linked to Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) where he works in the capacity of general secretary. He was spotted shaking hands with Pakistan Army chief on Wednesday at the ground breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor organised in Pakistan. Chawla has earlier been clicked with JuD terrorist Hafiz Saeed, the Mumbai attacks mastermind.
The Punjab minister had come under heavy fire from the Akali Dal who questioned if "Sidhu's priority was India" or not.
SAD president Sukhbir Badal said earlier on Thursday that there was a link between Gopal Chawla and the terrorist attack on Amritsar's Nirankari Bhavan that took place earlier this month.
"If he shakes hands with him or do something with him, then Sidhu has to answer in order to clear whether country is his priority or something else," said Badal.
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A BJP MLA, Manjinder Singh Sirsa questioned if Congress will sack Sidhu following his picture with the Khalistan separatist.
"In a group photo, PM Modi was clicked with Nirav Modi and Rahul Gandhi made it a big issue. What he has to say now on the photograph of Sidhu? Either Rahul Gandhi should apologise to Modiji or sack Sidhu," said Sirsa.