Didn’t know who Chawla is: Longowal
Says sat at the designated place as per fixed protocol
There were a number of people at the ceremony and we did not know them all. I had never met Chawla in my life and did not recognise him. GOBIND SINGH LONGOWAL, SGPC president
AMRITSAR :Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Gobind Singh Longowal on Friday claimed that he did not know Gopal Singh Chawla, a pro-Khalistan activist, after a photo of the two did rounds on social media.
Chawla, general secretary of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), had clicked a selfie with Longowal during the groundbreaking ceremony of the corridor to be constructed from Dera Baba Nanak in India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, to provide Indian devotees visa-free access to the shrine.
Chawla was also seen sitting with Longowal during the function.
Longwal clarified this while interacting with the media at the Attari-Wagah border when returning to India from the neighbouring country.
“I did not know who was sitting with me. There were a large number of devotees at the ceremony and we did not know them all. Also, the seats were allotted by the authorities and we could not move anywhere else. Changing seats would have been a violation of protocol,” he said.
Longowal’s photo triggered a row after the SAD-BJP leaders raised objection over a photo of state local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu with Chawla.
Sidhu had also responded in the same manner.
Longowal said he visited many historic Sikh shrines in Pakistan.
“Many shrines and heritage structures in Pakistan are in a bad shape. Locals have encroached upon historical buildings and the adjoining land. I am planning another visit to Pakistan in January to take up the matter with the government and the PSGPC and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB). We want to ensure that the encroachments are removed and the old glory of these gurdwaras is restored,” he said.