New Delhi/Chandigarh: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi not accompanying Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to his home state Gujarat, a controversy has broken out with the foreign media triggering speculation on whether Mr Trudeau is being snubbed by the Modi government. While this speculation has been dismissed as baseless by Indian government sources, the “Khalistan” issue is seen to be casting a shadow on the visit. However, in an interesting development Monday evening, that apparently sought to end the bitterness of the past two years with the Canadian government on this score, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh announced that he would receive the Canadian PM on Wednesday when Mr Trudeau goes to Amritsar. The announcement ended the uncertainty over whether the chief minister would receive Mr Trudeau in Punjab. Reports from Chandigarh indicate that Mr Singh has now directed the state administration to roll out the red carpet in Punjab for the visiting dignitary.
The Punjab CM had last year refused to meet Canadian defence minister Harjit Sajjan during his India visit, saying that he had pro-Khalistan links. Canada had then criticised the Punjab CM’s actions. News agency reports claimed that in 2016, when Amarinder Singh was Punjab
Congress chief, he had written a strongly-worded letter to the Canadian Prime Minister lodging a protest at being denied permission for interaction with Punjabi NRIs in Canada in the run-up to the Punjab Assembly polls. Mr Singh had then called it a “gag order”.
In a tweet, the Punjab CM said: “Look forward to meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Amritsar on Wednesday. I’m hopeful that this meeting will help strengthen the close Indo-Canadian business ties as well as the deep-rooted people-to-people relations between our two countries.”
With pro-Khalistan separatist elements commanding considerable influence in Canada, there are indications that Mr Trudeau’s government was reluctant to intervene on the reported “ban” imposed by such elements on Indian officials entering certain gurdwaras in Canada. India is apparently unhappy and wants to see more action from Canada to check the activities of Sikh radical elements there. Mr Trudeau will meet Prime Minister Modi on Friday for detailed delegation-level talks, when India is expected to strongly press for action by the Canadian authorities to curb the activities of pro-Khalistan Sikh radical elements there that are targeted at India.
The Punjab CM was quoted by PTI as saying in Chandigarh: “Punjab has deep roots with Canada, where a large Punjabi community is settled, and has always striven to strengthen the connect.” Mr Singh is all set to take Punjab’s close business as well as people-to-people links with Canada to the next level, with a one-to-one meeting with Mr Trudeau in Amritsar on Wednesday, an official spokesman said in Chandigarh. Interestingly, the Opposition Shriromani Akali Dal chief, Sukhbir Singh Badal, is expected to welcome the Canadian PM at the Golden Temple.
As reported by this newspaper on Monday, Mr Modi was not due to accompany the Canadian PM to Gujarat, in contrast with earlier Gujarat visits by Japan PM Shinzo Abe last year and Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu last month, when Mr Modi accompanied them on their visits.
While government sources pointed out that it was not mandatory for the PM accompany every foreign dignitary to Gujarat, this has nevertheless raised a lot of eyebrows.
While Mr Modi has received certain heads of state or government at the airport on their arrival personally, he did not receive the Canadian PM at the airport, but then he is not required to do so as per protocol. There have also been reports that UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath did not receive Mr Trudeau in Agra on Sunday when the Canadian PM went there to visit the Taj Mahal.
Mr Trudeau, who visited Agra on Sunday and Gujarat on Monday, will visit Mumbai on Tuesday and Amritsar on Wednesday. He will visit Old Delhi’s historic Jama Masjid on Thursday and will hold official talks with the Prime Minister and other senior Indian leaders on Friday.
