Chandra Arya’s father reflects on his son’s unexpected political rise
The father of Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya expressed his surprise at his son’s decision to run for the position of Prime Minister of Canada. K Govindaiah told news agency PTI that neither he nor Arya had anticipated this move. He fondly recalled how Arya’s father-in-law had once predicted his son would become a great politician, a prediction that now seems to be coming true ,reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Chandra Arya’s journey to politics and candidacy announcement
Chandra Arya, the Member of Parliament representing Nepean, Ottawa, was born in Karnataka, India. His brother, Srinivasa Govindaiah, shared that Arya was the first in their family to go to Canada without any prior connections and became an MP within a short period. Despite facing an anti-government wave during his first term, Arya committed himself fully to his political duties from day one, according to his brother.
Recently, Arya announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Liberal Party following Justin Trudeau’s resignation as Prime Minister. In his campaign message, Arya pledged to rebuild Canada with a smaller, more efficient government and secure prosperity for future generations.
He aims to make Canada a sovereign republic and has a platform that includes raising the retirement age, implementing a citizenship-based taxation system, and recognizing Palestine’s statehood.
A voice for the people, challenging key issues
Arya has always been vocal on key political issues. In 2023, he supported a petition urging the government to review its foreign agent registry plans. He has also been a strong advocate for Hindu Canadian interests, at times disagreeing with political figures like NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Liberal colleague Sukh Dhaliwal over issues related to Ottawa-New Delhi relations and Sikh separatist activities in Canada.
Arya also took a stand against a motion in Canada’s House of Commons that sought to categorize the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as genocide, claiming he was the only MP to oppose the motion. During a visit to India last year, Arya met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, although Global Affairs Canada clarified that Arya was there on a personal initiative, not as a representative of the Canadian government.
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