Conservatives Show Mean Spirit At Modi Visit!

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Rockstar Indian PM Narendra Modi (some are still calling him the Butcher of Gujarat – he is a divisive figure for sure) was the talk of the town this week which culminated in his visit on Thursday in Vancouver and Surrey. But the mean spirit showcased by the BC Conservative party organizers have left a bad taste with many locals, including NDP Surrey MPs and others from the business and media community, that the visit was juiced by the Conservatives for their own gains by inviting many cases no-name figures and their own hangers-on to Modi’s State Dinner instead reaching out to all sections of the local Indo-Canadian community. No one, and I’m talking only of the movers and shakers – the power brokers, really (other than the common man and woman, of course) cared about attending the temple visits. They all want that big ticket to the party at the Convention Centre where it was INVITE only. But the Conservatives were being more mean and nasty than usual and carted off all or most of the names submitted by the BC Liberals due to Premier Christy Clark’s criticism on the oil spill as well as also not letting in many lower mainland Indo-Canadians recommended by the Conservatives’ own local MPs and other power brokers. During the actual visit, protestors did make their voices heard with loud shouts against Modi’s alleged abuses in power including the Gujarat massacre which killed hundreds of Muslims. Two protesters at Ross Street told CBC News they consider Modi a criminal who shouldn’t be allowed into Canada because of his handling of anti-Muslim riots in Gujurat, India in. Modi was eventually cleared of wrong doing in 2012 by the Supreme Court of India. The protesters also alleged his BJP government continues to discriminate against non-Hindus.

***by R. Paul Dhillon