October 14, :
Indian officials "strongly" rejected a Canadian diplomatic message on Monday that suggested Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats were "persons of interest" in an inquiry, calling the claims "preposterous imputations" and a political ploy by the Trudeau administration.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau allegedly made specific claims in September 2023, according to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Nevertheless, despite multiple demands, the Canadian government has failed to provide the Indian government with any evidence.
"The Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are 'persons of interest' in a matter related to an investigation in that country," the MEA informed, citing a diplomatic cable from Canada received yesterday. The Indian government emphatically denies these baseless accusations and blames the Trudeau government's policy, which is based on wooing the electorate.
"Despite several demands from our side, the Canadian government has refused to share any proof with the Government of India since Prime Minister Trudeau made specific claims in September 2023. This most recent development follows exchanges in which, once again, claims without evidence have been made. The statement stated that there is a clear intention to tarnish India's reputation for political benefit, using the guise of an investigation.
The members of Trudeau's cabinet have openly linked themselves to an extremist and separatist agenda against India, and MEA pointed out that Trudeau's animosity for India has been evident for a long time. As an example of his willingness to go to extreme lengths in this area, the article highlighted the Canadian prime minister's "naked interference" in Indian domestic politics in December 2020.
"Prime Minister Trudeau's animosity to India has long been in evidence," MEA said, referencing Trudeau's previous acts. His 2018 trip to India, intended to win over a certain demographic, backfired, leaving him feeling uneasy. People who have been publicly linked to separatist and extremist ideologies in relation to India are part of his cabinet. The extent to which he was prepared to go in this respect was demonstrated by his brazen meddling in the internal affairs of India in December 2020.
Things were made worse by the fact that his government relied on a political party whose head openly supports a separatist ideology in relation to India. In an effort to deflect criticism, his government has purposefully invited India to help with the investigation into foreign meddling in Canadian politics. This most recent event, which is aimed toward Indian diplomats, is the subsequent stage in that trajectory. That it occurs just before Prime Minister Trudeau is expected to testify before a commission investigating alleged foreign meddling is not coincidental. It also supports the Trudeau government's anti-India separatist agenda, which it has consistently exploited for petty political benefit, it added.
Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada were the targets of death threats, harassment, and intimidation, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, which blamed the Trudeau-led government for allowing such extremists and terrorists a safe haven. All of these actions, according to the MEA, have been warranted because of free expression.
In pursuit of this goal, the Trudeau government has openly allowed terrorists and violent extremists to target Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada, causing them distress, threats, and intimidation. They have been threatened with death, along with Indian politicians. In the name of free expression, all these actions have been rationalized. Some people who have entered Canada illegally have been granted citizenship more quickly than others. According to MEA, Canada has repeatedly ignored India's pleas for the extradition of fugitives from organized crime and terrorists who are now residing in the country.
According to the MEA, Sanjay Kumar Verma has been India's senior most serving diplomat for 36 years and has had a stellar career. This information was shared in reference to Verma's role as Indian High Commissioner to Canada. Along with his stints in Italy, Turkey, Vietnam, and China, he has held the position of ambassador in Japan and Sudan. The Canadian government's slurs against him are ridiculous and deserving of scorn.
According to the MEA, the Indian government is aware of the Canadian High Commission's actions in India that further the present administration's political goals.
That "led to the implementation of the principle of reciprocity in regard to diplomatic representation," the statement continued. Following the Canadian government's most recent attempts to fabricate accusations against Indian diplomats, India may take additional measures.
Last year, Trudeau made "credible allegations" of India's involvement in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada's parliament, which led to a deterioration in relations between the two countries.
Claiming that the accusations are "absurd" and "motivated," India has refuted them all and accused Canada of allowing anti-India and extremist groups to operate inside the country. Last June, near a Gurdwara in Surrey, gunshots murdered Nijjar, who had been branded a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020
