Why is Trudeau regime backing Khalistanis at the cost of degrading India-Canada ties? It’s all about political survival

It was one of those rare instances when S Jaishankar, India’s articulate foreign minister who’s never found short of a quick response or a quip, was forced to take a few moments to give his reply. During MEA’s media briefing Thursday, on being asked to react to Canada’s national security advisor Jody Thomas’s recent remarks that India was “among the top sources of foreign interference in Canada”, a visibly surprised Jaishankar said it is a textbook case of pot calling the kettle black.

“I was… what shall I say, the phrase which came to my mind was actually a Hindi phrase which was… Ulta chor kotwal ko daantey…”“If anybody has a complaint,” added the minister, “we have against Canada… The space that they are giving to Khalistanis and to violent extremists. So, I was very perplexed by what I heard,” he said.

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Canada accusing India of “interference” is so replete with irony that the minister’s perplexity was understandable. Ottawa has let its toxic diaspora politics spill over into the bilateral arena to such an extent and for a such a long time that it would take a reckless punter to bet in favour of tightening India-Canadian ties under Justin Trudeau, the enfant terrible of world politics.

In fact, one of the very first questions in the presser, called by the MEA to showcase India’s foreign policy achievements under the Narendra Modi government in the last nine years, was on the tableau displayed as part of an annual parade in the city of Brampton in Canada to commemorate the anniversary of ‘Operation Bluestar’. Organised by the Khalistani groups based in Canada, one of the tableaus depicted in graphic detail the assassination of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards with an accompanying “revenge” poster referring to the storming of Golden Temple.

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The shocking incident that represents a new low even by Canada’s ‘exalted’ standards came to light with the release of a clip that went viral on social media. Given the sordid circumstances, and keeping in mind Canada’s track record in encouraging Khalistani terrorists and secessionists to organize umpteen ‘referendums’ on its soil to carve a ‘Khalistan’ out of India — Jaishankar gave a markedly measured, if slightly cynical response.

“Frankly, we are at a loss to understand other than the requirements of vote bank politics why anybody would do this… I think there is a larger underlying issue about the space which is given to separatists, to extremists, to people who advocate violence.”

Referring to the bombing of Air India Flight 182 that exploded mid-air on June 23, 1985, killing all 329 passengers and crew aboard, Jaishankar added, “…because if you look at their history, you would imagine that they learn from history and they would not like to repeat that history. It is not only one incident, however, egregious it may be.”

Alleged to be the handiwork of Khalistani terrorists, Canada’s worst terrorist attack took place due to glaring security lapses and blunders on part of Canadian authorities, according to a committee report commissioned in 2006 by then Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper.

The minister added: “I think there is a larger underlying issue about the space which is given to separatists, to extremists, to people who advocate violence and I think it is not good for relationships and not good for Canada.”

It was interesting to note Thomas accusing India of “interference” in Canadian affairs, and clubbing it along with Russia, Iran, and China as one of the top “state actors” meddling in its politics. It could easily have been mistaken as a satirical comment by a stand-up comedian had it not been made by the Canadian NSA, since, as Jaishankar pointed out, the exact opposite is true.

And one isn’t just talking about the anti-India hate speeches, attacking of Indian diplomatic missions and consulates or defacement of Hindu places of worship that take place dime a dozen in Canada. The conflation of Sikh votebank politics with Khalistani activism and separatism has become such a venomous issue in Canadian domestic politics that from Trudeau to his ministers and colleagues, Canadian politicians over the years have openly and brazenly interfered in Indian domestic politics under the guise of ‘free speech’ despite the Indian government frequently airing its displeasure and serving demarches.

Given the fleeting nature of public memory, a short refresher course might be in order.

In December 2020, when the farmers’ protests in India against three farm laws were in full swing — an event that was globally amplified and given robust support from the Sikh diaspora in Canada, Trudeau waded into the debate by calling it a “concerning situation” and sermonizing that “Canada will always be ready to defend the right to peaceful protest. We believe in the importance of dialogue and that’s why we reached out to multiple means directly to Indian authorities to highlight our concerns.”

From Canadian defence minister Anita Anand to then industry minister in Trudeau cabinet Navdeep Bains, the Canadian PM’s comments were followed by a laundry list of ministers and lawmakers extending support to the agitation.

Things got so out of hand that a furious New Delhi summoned the Canadian high commissioner and handed him a demarche, with the ministry of external affairs telling the envoy that Trudeau’s comments on protests by farmers in India “constitute an unacceptable interference in internal affairs” and may “seriously damage” bilateral ties.

Not to be deterred, and in indication of the brazenness and callousness with which Trudeau treats bilateral ties with India, a day after the demarche, Trudeau again provoked India by saying, “Canada will always stand up for the right of peaceful protests anywhere around the world.”

The Canadian PM is a repeat offender, and his unabashed courting of Khalistani elements at the risk of further damaging bilateral ties continued unabated, including, rather incredulously, right after he had dialled prime minister Modi for vaccines in early 2021.

That call was placed by Ottawa in February 2021, ostensibly under political pressure at home where the Trudeau government was roasted for not seeking New Delhi’s help.

The Minister said she was "scouring the globe to find vaccines". I asked if she or Trudeau had called @narendramodi. Nope. pic.twitter.com/ExGCUStn1B

— Michelle Rempel Garner (@MichelleRempel) February 5, 2021

According to a readout by New Delhi, Modi received a telephone call from Trudeau on February 10, “in which the Canadian leader informed about his country’s requirement of COVID-19 vaccines from India. Modi assured Trudeau that India would do its best to support Canada’s vaccination efforts, just as it had done for many other countries already. Expressing his appreciation, Trudeau said, if the world managed to conquer COVID-19, it would be significantly because of India’s tremendous pharmaceutical capacity…”

A day after, Trudeau’s office released a statement of the phone call where it claimed: “the leaders discussed Canada and India’s commitment to democratic principles, recent protests, and the importance of resolving issues through dialogue.”

Trudeau’s ungratefulness is surpassed only by his shamelessness. This is a prime minister that waxes eloquent on farmers’ protests in India and ‘bats’ for their rights, and then proceeds to invoke the Emergencies Act to crack down on protesting truckers at home and threatens to freeze the protestors’ bank accounts.

Even this year, when the Punjab government was hunting for Amritpal Singh and his associates, Canadian foreign minister in March said Canada is “ very closely” following the developments in Punjab and “will continue to address the concerns of the community”.

Another rabid India-hater and Khalistani sympathizer is New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh, whose support is crucial for Trudeau’s minority government to survive. Singh reportedly called upon Trudeau to “boycott the G20 events in Chandigarh and Kashmir.”

To understand Trudeau’s compulsions, we need to take a look at the numbers. NDP has 24 seats in Canadian Parliament, and Trudeau’s minority government will fall if Singh, who’s pro-Khalistan positioning is well documented, withdraws support. Trudeau therefore has vested interest in keeping the Khalistani fire burning, if only for his political survival.

At around 500,000 people, the tightly knit Sikh community in Canada is a significant political constituency — a point made by Jaishankar during the presser. The Khalistani faction is minuscule in comparison — which is to say around 80 per cent Sikhs in Canada have little sympathy for Khalistan, but the separatists are vocal and their activism is being fuelled by increasing political assistance and mainstreaming of their narrative in Canadian political discourse.

Evidently, therefore, it is preposterous for the Canadian NSA to claim that India is interfering in Canadian affairs. It is a ridiculous attempt at narrative-shaping and deflecting the criticism that rightly comes Canada’s way. Given the short-sightedness of Trudeau’s politics, his survival compulsions and the arm-twisting that he has succumbed to, it may safely be assumed that the prospect of India-Canada ties improving in the near future are not bright.

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