Union Minister of State for Home I D Swami says the government will keep track of Jagjit Singh Chohan's activities.

Chohan, the self-styled 'president' of Khalistan, told a news conference in Chandigarh this week that he has not given up the goal of 'Khalistan.'

"If what has appeared in the newspapers is true, then we will definitely watch his movements," Swami told rediff.com on Friday.

Swami said if the need arose the government would arrest Chohan.

"He should remember the government allowed him to return (Chohan lived in London for many years) despite the fact that a number of cases were pending against him. I personally feel the man is trying to hog the limelight. But if he continues to defy the law and makes statements against the integrity of the country, then the government will take strong action against him," the minister warned.

He promised to gather more information about Chohan and Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, the former terrorist who also returned to India after Akali and non-Akali politicians argued that he had given up the path of violence and lobbied for his return.

The minister played down the developments at the Golden Temple on June 6 where Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti, the head priest of the Akal Takht, declared Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale a martyr.

"Once a person is dead, nobody says he is a bad man," Swami said. "Generally people speak good about the dead. If you look at the developments from a dispassionate angle one controversy whether Bhindranwale is dead or alive has been laid to rest with this declaration. We should not give much importance to such developments."