Trudeau faces heat from Modi over Khalistan

New Delhi: In an open talk with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed India’s “strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities by extremist elements in Canada.”

Speaking during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit on Sunday, Modi told Trudeau that “extremist elements are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging property, places of worship and threatening the Indian community in Canada.”

“A relationship based on mutual respect and trust is essential for the progress of India-Canada relationship,” Modi stated, warning that “the nexus of such forces with organised crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well.”

“It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats. India-Canada relations are anchored in shared democratic values, respect for rule of law and strong people-to-people ties,” Modi told Trudeau.

In a release issued on Sunday, the Canadian government however “raised the importance of respecting the rule of law, democratic principles, and national sovereignty” in what is being seen as both a lecture to India and a defiant stand taken by Trudeau. However, there was no mention of India’s concerns on the need to address pro-Khalistan extremism in the statement.
Trudeau’s government has taken a soft stance on pro-Khalistan elements who have been openly issuing threats to India and the Indian community, emphasising on freedom of speech, even as Hindu temples have been vandalised in Canada.

New Delhi believes Trudeau is ignoring elements due to compulsions of vote-bank politics. The issue took a serious turn when pro-Khalistan elements in Canada recently took out a celebratory tableau on the streets, depicting the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was gunned down by two of her bodyguards in 1984.

New Delhi’s calls for action against such elements have been ignored by Trudeau’s government.