Canadian National Security Advisor (NSA) Jody Thomas recently accused India of interfering in Canada's internal affairs. In response, Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM), S. Jaishankar, criticised Canada for harbouring terrorism sympathisers and separatists.
In her remarks on Friday, Thomas mentioned various state actors and non-state proxies involved in foreign interference, including Russia, Iran, and India. However, China emerged as the predominant actor in these matters. Jaishankar expressed his bewilderment at the Canadian NSA's comments, stating, "The phrase that came to my mind was 'Ulta Chor Kotwal Ko Dantey,' roughly translating to 'the pot calling the kettle black.'"
Earlier visuals from Canada, of Khalistanis celebrating assassination of the former Indian PM. pic.twitter.com/kVBSKtGZ79
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) June 8, 2023
Adding to the controversy, a video surfaced showing a tableau in Brampton depicting the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The tableau, called the 'Shaheedi' Float, was part of a parade commemorating the anniversary of Operation Bluestar on 6 June. Canadian High Commissioner in India, Cameron MacKay, condemned the event “There is no place in Canada for hate or for the glorification of violence. I categorically condemn these activities,” Mackay tweeted.
Minister of External Affairs #SJaishankar hit out at #Canada after visuals of a parade float depicting the assassination of former Prime Minister #IndiraGandhi in Canada's Brampton city surfacedhttps://t.co/KHyxvdjOIo
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) June 8, 2023
In response to questions about the Khalistan float in Brampton, Minister Jaishankar expressed his concerns, wondering why such actions were being carried out, seemingly for vote bank politics. He emphasized the larger issue of providing space to separatists, extremists, and advocates of violence, asserting that it is detrimental to the bilateral relationship between India and Canada.
Indian authorities formally expressed their displeasure to the Canadian government, with the High Commission in Ottawa sending a formal note to Global Affairs Canada (GAC), calling the incident "not acceptable." Congress leaders, including Milind Deora and Jairam Ramesh, criticised the incident and urged the EAM to strongly address the matter with Canadian authorities.
India has accused Canada of being closely associated with Khalistani separatists, particularly due to the support received by the ruling Justin Trudeau government from the 24 seats of the New Democratic Party led by Khalistani sympathizer Jagmeet Singh.
The recent NSA issue between Canada and India has further strained bilateral relations, culminating in the controversy surrounding the Brampton event depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi.