Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 17, 2024, 09:50 AM
India-Canada Relations: The tension between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar has now reached its peak. On Sunday, Canada involved Indian diplomats in the controversy by calling them 'person of interest', after which the Indian government decided to call back 6 Indian diplomats. All these diplomats will reach India by Saturday.India's tough standIndia has termed the allegations of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in this entire matter as politically motivated and an attempt to woo the vote bank. The Indian Foreign Ministry has made it clear that the allegations made by Trudeau have no solid basis and are only an attempt to gain domestic political advantage.Trudeau government's difficultiesElections are due in Canada next year, and Trudeau's government is on the backfoot on many issues. Notably, Jagmeet Singh, leader of the pro-Khalistani party NDP, recently withdrew support from the Trudeau government, leaving the Trudeau government in minority. Although the recently passed no-confidence motion has failed, the upcoming elections may prove to be challenging for Trudeau.Trudeau is now hoping for the support of Jagmeet Singh, who is an important leader of Canada's Sikh community. Jagmeet Singh believes that Canadian Hindus are against Sikhs and Muslims, and Trudeau is resorting to anti-India agenda to garner their support.Role of Jagmeet SinghJagmeet Singh, who is the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), decided to withdraw support from the Trudeau government and said that Trudeau has disappointed the people. He was born in Punjab, and his family moved to Canada in 1993. Earlier he has been a supporter of the Khalistan movement, but later he distanced himself from it. In recent times, he has demanded strict sanctions against India and has put pressure on Trudeau to hold the Modi government in India accountable.Trudeau's anti-India agendaNo party got a majority in the 2021 elections in Canada, and the NDP played the role of kingmaker. After this, Trudeau's Liberal Party entered into an agreement with the NDP, in which the NDP promised to support the Trudeau government during the no-confidence motion.Now Trudeau is trying to secure his political existence by appeasing the pro-Khalistan vote bank and other parties. The Indian Foreign Ministry has said that Canada has not presented evidence to India despite repeated requests, which seems to be a part of vote bank politics.History of the disputeThe dispute started in September 2023, when Trudeau accused India of being involved in the murder of Nijjar. Since then relations between the two countries have become tense. Now, India has ordered the return of 6 Canadian diplomats, which has reduced diplomatic relations between the two countries.Due to this dispute, the number of Indian diplomats in Canada will be reduced to 9, while Canada will have 15 diplomats in India. Earlier, India had 12 diplomats in Ottawa and Canada had 62 diplomats in Delhi.ConclusionThis ongoing dispute between India and Canada is not only challenging for bilateral relations, but it can also bring serious consequences at the political and economic level. Trudeau and his government should avoid jeopardizing international relations for their political intentions, and should maintain dialogue between the two countries.