Meet Jagmeet Singh, Canadian MP influencing Trudeau’s pro-Khalistan politics

As the spat between India and Canada escalates over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, all eyes are on one man – Canadian MP Jagmeet Singh. Singh, a Sikh of Indian origin, has vowed to get ‘justice’ for Nijjar – a terrorist – and is said to be influencing Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s pro-Khalistan politics. But who is Singh? And how is he influencing Trudeau? Let’s take a closer look: Who is he? Singh is the head of Canada’s leftist New Democratic Party (NDP). As per the NDP website, Singh’s parents migrated from India’s Punjab to Canada to ‘build a better life’. As per CBC, Singh was born on 2 January, 1979 in Scarborough’s Ontario. Singh grew up in Scarborough, St. John’s, and Windsor.

The NDP website describes him as a lawyer, human rights activist, and politician.

As per Economic Times, Singh has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Western Ontario (2001) as well as a Bachelor of Laws degree from York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School (2005). Prior to politics, Singh worked as a criminal defence lawyer in the Greater Toronto Area. Singh became Ontario MPP in 2011 and served in that position till 2017. He was the first turban-wearing Sikh to sit in Ontario’s legislature. On 1 October, 2017, Singh became the leader of the NDP. As per Economic Times, Singh is the first non-white leader of a major Canadian political party. During his ascent to power, Singh caught the eye of GQ magazine which described him as “the incredibly well-dressed rising star in Canadian politics.” Singh has, since 2019, served as the Member of Parliament for Burnaby South. He lives in Burnaby South with his wife Gurkiran and daughter Anhad. Singh speaks fluent French and Punjabi. Influence on Trudeau, support for Khalistan and Nijjar In September 2021, Trudeau’s Liberal Party won reelection but failed to win a majority of seats in Parliament. Trudeau in March 2022 struck a deal with Singh’s NDP for support in exchange for deals on pharmaceutical and dental care plans. “We’ve agreed to work together,” Trudeau said at the time. “It’s about focusing on what we agree on instead of what we disagree on.” The conservatives in Canada slammed the tie-up as a ‘Justin Trudeau power grab’. Singh has great influence on Trudeau. As the Economic Times noted, Trudeau’s government is entirely reliant on Singh’s NDP for its political survival. [caption id=“attachment_13151612” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Canada’s Justin Trudeau in March 2022 struck a deal with Jagmeet Singh’s NDP to support his Liberal Party. AP[/caption] Singh in 2013 was denied a visa to India allegedly over anti-India activities and links with extremists. Singh claimed he was going to Amritsar to be feted as ‘Sikh of the Year’ by two NGOs. He told The Times of India that the Indian government was seemingly miffed with him for “raising the voice of justice for victims of anti-Sikh riots of November 1984”.

As per Globe and Mail, Singh in June 2015 participated in a rally in San Francisco in support of Khalistan.

The newspaper said social media videos of the event showed Singh speaking on a stage with a large poster of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Bhindranwale was a Sikh militant leader who fought for an independent Sikh homeland. He and his supporters were killed in 1984 when the Indian Army stormed the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine in the Sikh religion, in Operation Blue Star. Videos of the event also showed Singh, at the time a member of the  Ontario Legislature, walking in a pro-sovereignty march behind a truck with signs saying “India out of Sikh Homeland,” and “1984 Sikh Genocide Independence.” Singh also accused India of committing ‘genocide’ against Sikhs “Why do we talk about genocide, what happened to us?” Singh said as per the newspaper. “We are talking about it because, in our country where we live, that country intentionally tried to wipe us out, that in that country it was a planned process to attack the Golden Temple.” ‘Outrageous and shocking’ Singh has called the accusation of India’s involvement in the murder of Nijjar ‘outrageous and shocking’. Nijjar, 45, was the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and one of India’s most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head. Following Trudeau’s allegations, Singh posted on X:

Today we learned of allegations that agents of the Indian Government murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar — a Canadian killed on Canadian soil.

To all Canadians, this is my vow.

I will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice, including holding Narendra Modi accountable.

— Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) September 18, 2023

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Singh claimed he grew up hearing stories that challenging India’s record on human rights might prevent you from getting a visa to travel there. “But to hear the prime minister of Canada corroborate a potential link between a murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil by a foreign government is something I could never have imagined,” Singh said. Singh in September called for the inclusion of India in a probe launched in September of alleged interference in Canadian affairs by other countries, especially China. “In my experience, as a Sikh-Canadian, there have always been suspicions that India was interfering in the democratic rights of Canadians. The announcement confirms that these suspicions are valid,” Singh said. Singh in March was slammed on Twitter for “raising concerns" over the crackdown in Punjab against ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief and Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh. Singh posted on X, “These draconian measures are unsettling for many given their historical use to execute extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances during the 1984 Sikh Genocide." With inputs from agencies