BRITISH Sikh MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, best known as Tan Dhesi, has met US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in London.
Last week, Tan Dhesi shared a picture of their meeting on Twitter.
"When first hijab wearing woman elected to US Congress @IlhanMN meets first ever turbaned Sikh elected to any European Parliament, always a symbolic emotional moment," the MP wrote on Twitter.
"After her warm welcome when I was in Washington, delight to host her today in London and discuss global issues."
Omar was on a visit to the UK where she met ministers, and London mayor Sadiq Khan and attended many events.
Tan Dhesi is the first turban-wearing Sikh MP after the 2017 UK snap elections. He won again in the 2019 general elections in which his party was unable to oust the Boris Johnson-led Conservative Party.
In April, India's BJP leader and former Army chief J J Singh lashed out at Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann over his meeting with Dhesi. He said that the ruling AAP in Punjab should clarify if it endorses the “pro-separatist and anti-India” views of the British lawmaker. Dhesi met Mann along with AAP Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha.
After the meeting, Dhesi tweeted, “Grateful to Punjab Chief Minister @BhagwantMann for warmth with which he received me at his Chandigarh residence. We…discussed at length NRI hopes, anxieties and desire to see Punjab progress. He assured me his best to address these issues.”
Ilhan, a Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, is the first person ever to wear a hijab in Congress. Last month, she introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives condemning alleged violations of human rights and religious freedom in India.
It asked the US secretary of state to designate India as a 'country of particular concern'. The resolution has been co-sponsored by Congresspersons Rashida Tlaib, Juan Vargas, and Jim McGovern.
Damian Talbot