Why Canada- India relations has touched a new low

 

It seems that relations between India and Canada have reached a very complicated state.  Recently Canada expelled an official from the Indian Embassy.  After this, in retaliation, India also expelled an official of the Canadian Embassy.  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the Indian government has a hand in the murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.  At the same time, Canada postponed the trade talks between the two countries two days in advance in October.

 Have the relations between the two countries deteriorated so much that they have reached their lowest point?  In fact, India had been expressing concern for some time about the patronage of Khalistan related activities in Canada.  Many Sikhs, whom India considers terrorists, have also found shelter in Canada.  When Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau came to Delhi recently, concern about this was expressed in his conversation with Modi.  It was also said that this conversation was tense.

 Things became even more strange when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was stuck in a hotel here for two days due to a malfunction in his plane.  Then he left by plane for Canada.  Observers say that the strong statements of both the countries reveal the low level India-Canada relations have reached.

 India claims that Canada is soft towards Khalistani supporters.  On the other hand, Canada accused India of interfering in domestic politics.  An even more serious allegation is that India itself got a Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar murdered in its country.  Even during Trudeau's tenure, India's relations with Canada have remained quite cold.

Although there is large scale trade between India and Canada.  A large number of Indians live there and do business or jobs.  Many Indian students go there to study.  It is also said that Canada is a country where Indians, especially the Punjabi Sikh community, has emerged as a major political force.

 If relations between India and Canada deteriorate further, it will definitely affect the Indians living there.  Also, there may be a significant impact on the visas of Indians going there. Recently, a lot of anti-Indian protests were also seen in Canada.  There were also reports of attacks by Khalistan supporters on Indian immigrants.

 Canada has been ignoring India's claims

 India has been continuously telling Canada that “Khalistan supporters living in Canada are promoting Sikh separatism.”  They are inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises.  The Indian community and their places of worship in Canada are being threatened.  The nexus of such forces with organized crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should also be a matter of concern for Canada.  India has been warning Canada about such dangers for some time.  However, it is also believed that Canada is not doing much in this direction.

 Tension increased after G20 meeting:

 When Trudeau was asked at a press conference after the G20 why his public conversation with Modi was "awkward and chaotic", he said we had a seriously candid conversation.  The meaning of this thing was also derived in different ways.  Now it is clearly evident that the kind of action Canada took against the Indian diplomat as soon as he returned to Canada is an indication of its sour relations with India.

 Many think tanks and foreign affairs experts have said that it is felt that everything is not going well between the two countries.  Their relations are in bad shape.  Both the governments are going through very tense relations.  However, having a large number of Indians in Canada would not be better in such tense situations.

 

Why have India-Canada relations been tense in recent years?  Although this is not from today, but in the last few decades the tension in relationships has dissolved.  It started with the 1985 bombing of an Air India plane by a Canada-based Khalistani separatist group.  The investigation into the Air India bomb blast 32 years ago has not yet reached its conclusion.

 After Trudeau became the Prime Minister of Canada in 2015, relations between the two countries have deteriorated and cooled and currently seem to have reached their lowest level.  The Indian government has been believing that the Canadian government is soft towards Khalistani supporters in Canada and is working against Indian interests.  Canada has also been irritated by the fact that India has been allegedly trying to interfere in its internal affairs by talking about vandalism in Hindu temples.

 

 India had also expressed strong protest as to why permission was given to hold a so-called referendum in Canada on the demand for an independent state for Indian Sikhs.  It was held on the same day when Modi and Trudeau met in Delhi.

Political analysts believe that Trudeau's Liberal Party is dependent on the support of Canadian Sikhs and Canadian Sikh politician Jagmeet Singh's New Democratic Party for the sake of vote bank.  Singh once participated in a Khalistani separatist rally.

 

 India had lodged a diplomatic protest when a tableau was shown in a parade in Brampton, Canada, showing former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in a blood-stained saree, with turban-wearing men pointing guns at her.  A placard in the tableau read: “Revenge for the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib.”  When protested, Canadian officials said that this tableau is not a hate crime.

 Even Pakistan and China did not make such allegations

 The way Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau has directly blamed India for the murder of a Sikh leader, that statement is really audacious and immature.  Neither China nor Pakistan, which are called enemy countries of India, have ever made such direct allegations.  By saying this, Trudeau behaved as if he himself wants to spoil relations with India and is bent on an attitude of hostility.