Surrey Liberal MP Randeep Sarai has no intention of stepping down from his job now that he鈥檚 back in Surrey Centre and hoping to put Prime Minister Trudeau鈥檚 India tour fiasco behind him.
This is his first interview in Canada after returning to Surrey Thursday night. We鈥檝e been trying find out why a Sikh extremist found guilty of trying to assassinate an Indian cabinet minister in 1986 was invited to attend a reception with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Mumbai.
This is what a 鈥渏et-lagged鈥� Sarai had to say on that, and more, on Friday morning.
鈥淎ll we did is forwarded anybody that wanted to attend,鈥� he told the Now-Leader, 鈥渢hat had expressed interest in the office. We forwarded those names to, forwarded those names forward. People were excited 鈥� people were calling in the office, there was about 25 or 30 names that came in from various different industries and we forwarded those name forward.鈥�
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 invited the person,鈥� he said of Atwal. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a media personality; he鈥檚 associated with Media Waves, the radio, and he鈥檚 there for, around everwhere. We did go on his radio pre-election, kind of during the writ period time, afterwards I鈥檝e been on it a couple of times, he鈥檚 been around socially in the community here in Surrey for years now. I鈥檝e seen him around but I don鈥檛 have anything beyond socially when we see him at media events or at public events, I don鈥檛 have any other relationship with him.鈥�
It鈥檚 not like he鈥檚 been breaking bread with Atwal, he says. 鈥淣o, no, not at all.鈥�
The request for the invitation went through Sarai鈥檚 constituency office in Surrey. 鈥淚t was anybody who expressed interest to the constituency office, we forwarded those names.鈥�
Nobody recognized Atwal鈥檚 name, given his history?
鈥淚 was eleven years old and I鈥檓 the oldest in my staff, everyone else in there is in their early twenties,鈥� Sarai explained. 鈥淲e should have vetted better, we should have been more diligent but none of us, instead of doing that we were pretty preoccupied in organizing myself, for myself to go to the visit and I just forwarded the names that I received. I take full responsibility, I鈥檝e as you know stated that and I should have done better, I should have searched the names up and done my due diligence better.鈥�
It鈥檚 been reported that the circumstances around Atwal鈥檚 invitation is being investigated by the National Securities Service.
Have they contacted Sarai?
鈥淣o, no, nothing with me at all yet.鈥� If they do, he said, 鈥淚 would absolutely be available to them but I haven鈥檛 heard of anything now I鈥檝e heard they鈥檙e probably looking into this matter but I don鈥檛, I haven鈥檛 been in contact with anybody yet.鈥�
Sarai鈥檚 job got a little lighter after he announced on Twitter on Tuesday evening, following a meeting with the prime minister, that he is stepping down as chair of the Liberal Pacific Caucus. This was in the wake of the political maelstrom the Trudeau government has found itself in over the prime minister鈥檚 recent trip to India. Sarai had held the voluntary, unpaid caucus position since Oct. 28, 2016.
鈥淚 want to again apologize for my role in recent unfortunate events. Moving forward, I will be exercising better judgment,鈥� Sarai tweeted on Feb. 27. 鈥淎s I don鈥檛 want to distract from the good work of the Pacific Caucus, I will be stepping down as caucus chair.鈥�
Sarai said it was his idea, not the prime minister鈥檚, to step down from that post.
鈥淚t was absolutely my idea. I didn鈥檛 want to bring any adverse attention to it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 felt stepping down was the best choice.鈥�
Would he charactize this as a discipline?
鈥淲ell, no,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 asked to step down at all. I stepped down on my own and felt it was best otherwise I would detract from the position and the good work that the Pacific Caucus has been doing.鈥�
It鈥檚 been suggested Sarai is being scapegoated.
Asked if he is, figuratively, falling on a sword or taking one for the team, so to speak, he replied, 鈥淟ook, I took full responsibility as soon as I found out that this had happened and I, you know, the name came from my office, I should have vetted them before I forwarded them, I should have looked a bit more diligently at it, I am a new, young Member of Parliament, a rookie you can say so obviously I am learning from my mistakes.鈥�
Sarai said he wanted to set things straight with his constituents once he got back to Surrey from India and Ottawa.
鈥淢y first responsibility, I felt, was to speak to my constituents via yourself, and that鈥檚 why you鈥檙e the first person I鈥檓 calling on this. I felt I owe it to my constituents in Surrey; they need to hear from me first and that鈥檚 why I came back and decided to speak with you first.鈥�
Sarai plans to stay the course as MP despite calls for his resignation.
鈥淚鈥檝e taken ownership of my mistakes, I think we鈥檝e done great work in the riding with over $200 million brought into the riding in the last two years, everything from Simon Fraser鈥檚 expansion, the new engineering campus, to public transportation going toward, an LRT system getting the initial funding for that, getting a veterans centre. That was the first budget we got both things allocated in that, we advocated really hard鈥︹��
鈥淎 big thing about being a Member of Parliament is recognizing when you鈥檝e made a mistake but continuing to work hard for your constituents and I promise to do that, and I have done that in the past, and I鈥檒l continue doing that forward.鈥�
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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