Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has said that there are no takers for the Referendum 2020 campaign in Punjab, and dubbed the proposed rally at Trafalgar Square in London on August 12 as an attempt by a handful of frustrated ISI backed foreign based Sikhs to foment trouble in Punjab and India by raising divisive voices.In an informal chat with some newsmen on Friday, the chief minister said he was not at all worried about these fringe elements and their proposed Aug 12 rally in London.“They have been at it for long and have been playing in the hands of the ISI, which has an open agenda to foment trouble in Punjab and India”, he said, adding that he would not allow anyone to disturb the peace in the state.Taking a very strong stand, the chief minister said if these elements think they can come and disturb the peace of my country and my state, they are mistaken. He categorically stated that he had asked the Punjab police to deal with any attempts to revive terrorism with a “strict hand”. He said in the past 15 months of his government, the police had cracked down on several terror modules and seized a sizeable number of arms and ammunition and narcotics.
On the question of UK government’s refusal to stop the 2020 referendum rally, the Chief Minister said, “it does not bother me. This entire referendum business is just a money making racket of Sikhs For Justice and its promoters”. He said there are no takers for this campaign in the state, as people want peace and development.The chief minister castigated SFJ, describing it is a “sham organisation”, which does not deal in any human rights activities. He said only a handful of “frustrated” Sikhs, based in countries like UK, Canada, USA and Germany, were backing this campaign, which he said will not last long.“We are prepared to deal with these Kahlistani elements. If they come with arms, my advise to them is to lay them down or they would be dealt with accordingly”, he said in response to a question.