Canadian MP’s mother stuck in Jagraon village, says can wait

Nidhi Bhardwaj | TNN | Apr 22, 2020, 08:10 IST

Amarjit Kaur with Canadian MP son Sukh Dhaliwal

LUDHIANA: Amarjit Kaur, the 80-year-old mother of Canadian MP Sukh Dhaliwal, is among the many Indo-Canadians stranded in Punjab due to the lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus.
In February, Amarjit came here to visit her native Sujapaur village in Jagraon tehsil, around 40km from Ludhiana.
Even as she is alone at her village house, Amarjit is in no hurry to return to Canada. “The Canadian government should first take home those whose families are alone there or whose absence is affecting work. I can wait here as I am perfectly fine,” she said.
Born in September 1939, Amarjit said, “A girl resides with me here. Both of us stay indoors. Neither anybody is allowed to visit us nor we move out. Every day my son calls me up and asks about my well-being. He considers all Canadians as his family. He, along with the government, is trying to bring back Canadians stranded in Punjab and other parts of the country.”
She came to Punjab after undergoing a knee surgery in Canada on February 29. “The purpose of my Punjab visit was to escape the extreme Canadian cold weather. But in March, the lockdown was announced and flights suspended,” she added.
Amarjit has been staying in Canada for the past 32 years. “I know many Canadian families who had come to Punjab a few months ago, but could not go back. Some have their jobs in Canada and some have their kids there. So, these people have the right to return first. The Canadian government is arranging flights for such people. Once they return, my son will call me too,” she said.