HOW come the Conservative Party bent its rule that candidates should be card carrying members for six months when it concerned a former mayor of Whitby, Ontario, but refused to do the same for South Asian businessman T.J. (Tejinder) Grewal in the Cariboo-Prince George riding that extends from near Williams Lake in the south to Prince George in the north and Vanderhoof in the west?

That’s what Grewal is trying to figure out after being left out in the cold by the Conservatives just because he was a week short of that requirement. The riding is considered a shoo-in for any Conservative candidate.

According to the Prince George Citizen newspaper, Grewal was a card-carrying member in the past and served on the local Electoral District Association in 2011 to 2012.

He told the newspaper that he had signed about 1,500 new members and he was to decide which candidate to support now: economist Nick Fedorkiw, departing Prince George Mayor Shari Green or businessman Todd Doherty.

Of course, he doesn’t expect to find out who really was behind the move to deny him the green light to run.

On his website, he said: “I have been a resident of Prince George since 1977. I worked in Alberta starting 1984 and decided to call Prince George my permanent home since 1994. For over 27 years, I have been actively involved in the community and volunteering. I believe in hard work and that through hard work comes success. I am a successful businessman, starting and operating successful businesses throughout northern BC. Currently, I sit as a director for the Prince George Airport Authority as nominated by the City of Prince George. I have a passion for sports. I play soccer competitively for a local soccer club and whenever I can, I will drop in and join a game just for fun.

“I have been married to my life partner Gurdip since 1988 and together we have 2 boys. We are both very proud of our children. My eldest is a 4th year Bio Chem student who plans to attend medical school at UBC and our youngest plays for the Prince George Cougars hockey team. I understand that for my family and everyone in the north, it is essential that we continue to have a strong economy that supports businesses, jobs and pays for the social programs that we rely upon.”

Why would the Conservatives want to lose such a good candidate? Is the Conservative Party sending out a wrong message to South Asians?