:dateline:The Sikh�Federation (UK) last year arranged a meeting of British Sikh representatives�with Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister and Simon Hughes, the Deputy Leader�of the Liberal Democrats at that time.��
In a more detailed�follow up meeting in his office at the Cabinet Office Sikh Federation (UK)�representatives suggested in a future trip to India that the Deputy Prime�Minister should try and visit Punjab, the Sikh homeland and Sri Harmander Sahib�(often referred to as the Golden Temple Complex) in Amritsar.�
�
The�revelations in January this year under the 30�year rule that the Thatcher-led British�Government was directly involved in assisting the Indian army in the military�assault on the Sikh’s holiest shrine in June 1984 that led to the Genocide of thousands�of innocent Sikh pilgrims probably put a hold on any chance of Clegg visiting�Amritsar during this trip.
�
Bhai Amrik�Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK), who has met the Deputy Prime�Minister on more than one occasion said:
“Even though�time may have been limited in his 3-day visit to promote British business we�believe the Deputy Prime Minister was either prevented or avoided visiting�Amritsar fearing this may re-open the debate around the UK Government assistance in�the Sikh Genocide in Amritsar in June 1984.�We suggested�if he could not visit Punjab he should visit one of the historic Sikh Gurdwaras�in Delhi. It was good to see him at�Bangla Sahib Gurdwara today, which has been widely reported in the media.�However, we�believe he deliberately avoided consulting us on the exact arrangements for his�visit given our criticism of the coalition government in recent months following�the revelations in January and the way this has been handled by them.�He may also�have been nervous about our advice as we are approaching the 30th�anniversary of the Sikh Genocide in Delhi and other cities throughout northern�India in November 1984.�He would not�have been disappointed as we would almost certainly have suggested a more�suitable Gurdwara for his visit, �Gurdwara�Rakab Ganj Sahib opposite the Indian Parliament that is of huge�significance to Sikhs.�It was not only where the body of the ninth Sikh Guru�who sacrificed his life for the religious freedom of others (the Hindu majority�at that time) was cremated, but also one of the many sites where leading�Congress politicians (Kamal Nath) led Hindu mobs who systematically burnt alive�innocent Sikhs on 1 November 1984.�UK Cabinet papers from November 1984 that are available under�the 30-year rule show the extraordinary lengths the Indian Government took 30�years ago to threaten the Thatcher-led government with pulling out of �5bn worth�of contracts unless British Sikhs protesting against the Genocide were silenced.�Sadly 30 years ago the iron lady bowed to the Indian government�pressure, not only in providing military assistance in the June 1984 Genocide�in the Sikh’s holiest shrine, but also silencing Sikh voices of protest in�London following the second Sikh Genocide in November 1984.”
�Today the British Prime Minister and Deputy Prime�Minister are still far more interested in trade and selling arms to India than�ensuring justice for the 1984 Sikh Genocide.
