India on Friday summoned the Canadian ambassador to formally register a complaint against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s remarks supporting the ongoing farmer protests in the country, saying that such actions could severely damage ties between the nations.
Thousands of farmers have been protesting at the Delhi-Haryana border over the last week, against the recently passed farm laws. They fear that the new regulations will give way to the abolition of the minimum support price (MSP)—which is the price at which the government buys produce—and leave them at the mercy of private sector players. However, Indian PM Narendra Modi has defended the legislation, arguing that it will encourage much-needed private investment in the agriculture sector.
The Indian government has also held talks with the farmers to end the impasse and persuade them that the reforms were in their interest in the long-term, but these discussions have not led to any resolution. The demonstrations have continued, despite police forces using rounds of tear gas and water cannons to stop the march.
Earlier this week, in a virtual address to the Sikh community on Guru Nanak Jayanti, the Canadian leader expressed concern over India’s response to the demonstrations, and asserted that his country would “always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protest”. Trudeau’s remarks were echoed by Conservative party leader Erin O’Toole, as well as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Jagmeet Singh.
Unsurprisingly, India responded harshly to the remarks, calling them “ill-informed”. New Delhi informed the Canadian envoy that the “comments by the Canadian Prime Minister, some Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament on issues relating to Indian farmers constitute an unacceptable interference in our internal affairs,” according to a statement issued on Friday by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Though the countries share warm relations, there have been some concerns in New Delhi in recent years about some Sikh Canadian leaders and their ties to separatist groups that are sympathetic to the cause of an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan, carved out of India. Though Trudeau has previously assured New Delhi that Canada would not support the revival of such a moment, the Indian foreign ministry said that the PM’s remarks had emboldened radical groups, putting Indian diplomatic personnel stationed in Canada at risk.
“We expect the Canadian Government to ensure the fullest security of Indian diplomatic personnel and its political leaders to refrain from pronouncements that legitimize extremist activism,” the MEA said.
Some have also accused Trudeau of engaging in hypocrisy in order to gain the Sikh vote, given that they are a dominant ethnic group in the country. Shekhar Gupta, from The Print, said on Thursday that Trudeau’s comments are hypocritical, given that Canada has historically stood against India’s agricultural subsidies. Canada has consistently opposed India on agricultural issues at the World Trade Organization (WTO), where New Delhi has sought to defend its agricultural programmes like the minimum support price (MSP) for staple crops such as rice, wheat, and pulses. “The Indian farmers are demanding what Trudeau’s government is opposing at WTO,” Gupta noted.
India Summons Canadian Envoy to Protest Trudeau’s Remarks About Ongoing Farmer Protests
New Delhi has warned Ottawa that such actions could severely damage ties between the nations.
December 5, 2020
SOURCE: SCROLL.IN