BC Liberal insiders Satnam Johal and Jagmohan Singh, whose New Horizons Village Society received a $200,000 grant during the dying days of the Christy Clark regime, have filed a Defamation lawsuit in BC Supreme Court against a number of defendants including another controversial Indo-Canadian political operative and realtor Sukhi Sandhu (called Junior cause there is also a senior) and Surrey-based Punjabi radio station Mediawaves, which originates from across the border, and the station's parent companies and key staff. 

By R. Paul Dhillon – Editor-Founder DESIBUZZCanada

SURREY – BC Liberal insiders Satnam Johal and Jagmohan Singh, whose New Horizons Village Society received a $200,000 grant during the dying days of the Christy Clark regime, have filed a Defamation lawsuit in BC Supreme Court against a number of defendants including another controversial Indo-Canadian political operative and realtor Sukhi Sandhu (called Junior cause there is also a senior) and Surrey-based Punjabi radio station Mediawaves, which originates from across the border, and the station's parent companies and key staff . 

"Beginning on or about October 26, 2017, and continuing to the present, the defendant Sandhu published or caused to be published the following false and defamatory words of and concerning the plaintiffs to his personal Facebook Page," the lawsuit states.

Sandhu is accused of making the following false and Defamatory statements, the lawsuit alleges.

"Today it was brought to my attention that a few businessmen in our South Asian community cleverly presented to the former provincial liberal government, a community initiative called the Sift Seniors Project with themselves self-appointed as president/CEO and other as executive director.

"What is most disturbing is they allegedly received a $250,000 grant for this project without any professional experience or track record in seniors' health care.

"Is this the path or reasons for wanting to take leading roles in mainstream politics?

"I don't mind if this is a private enterprise but don't agree when the goodwill of community is leveraged for personal gain.

"I hope our South Asian media has the courage to expose such business schemes which are to the detriment or interest of our greater community needs."

Singh Johal filed similar Defamation complaint  against the Punjabi radio station.

Both Singh and Johal have been taking enormous heat in the South Asian media following the unveiling that they received the friendly grant for a feasibility study for a seniors' home.

NDP MLA Ravi Kahlon recently asked New Horizons Society and it's directors Johal and Singh, who are rumoured to be helping the Dianne Watts campaign with membership and fundraising, to provide a progress report on the  $200,000 grant a Society.

Kahlon began looking into why the grant was given to these long time South Asian BC Liberals after Sandhu who was working for the Watts campaign and got into a tiff with the former Mayor’s campaign team and then released personal texts between him and Watts, revealed the not previously known grant given to Johal, Singh and Kulvinder Badesha, another director of New Horizons Village Society .

New Horizons Village Society was supposed to use the money to do a feasibility analysis, including preparing a business plan, to build a community centre for the Fraser Valley and Surrey.

Johal, Singh and Badesha said when the story broke on their secretive grant  that the funds are still in the Society bank account and fully unspent.

“The fact that nothing has happened so far … it raises more questions about the whole process,” said Kahlon.

Kahlon has since passed his findings on to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, which sent a letter to two of the society’s directors.

“The Ministry has recently understood, from information attributed to the Society through media, that no funds have been expended to advance the project. Could the ministry please receive a status update?” assistant deputy minister Tracy Campbell wrote.

Kahlon told the Sun last week that to his knowledge the ministry has not yet received a response, but he hopes to hear something early in the new year. He said his phone has been ringing off the hook since the story came out in South Asian and mainstream media, with calls from both concerned citizens and community groups.