India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) fired back at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claim of supporting the ‘One India’ policy, stating there was a significant gap between his words and actions. This diplomatic tension arises as India calls out Canada’s failure to act against anti-India elements, including Khalistani separatists.
The already strained India-Canada relations worsened this week when Canadian authorities informed New Delhi that senior Indian diplomats were “persons of interest” in the probe linked to the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In retaliation, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and withdrew its officials from Canada.
Testifying before the Foreign Interference Commission, Trudeau accused Indian officials of gathering intelligence on Canadians and passing it to the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. He reiterated his government’s belief in the ‘One India’ policy. However, India sees this as mere lip service.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded, highlighting that India had repeatedly requested the arrest and extradition of gang members from Canada, but no action had been taken. “There is a gap between Trudeau’s words and his actions,” Jaiswal said. He emphasized that anti-India elements in Canada openly call for the disunity of India, yet Canada’s inaction speaks louder than Trudeau’s words.
Despite Trudeau’s allegations of Indian involvement in Nijjar’s murder, he admitted on Wednesday that his government had not presented India with concrete evidence. Instead, he mentioned that Canada only had intelligence, not hard evidence. “At that point, it was primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof,” Trudeau confessed, adding that he urged India to cooperate.
India has consistently dismissed Canada’s claims as baseless. “What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying all along—Canada has presented no evidence to back its serious allegations,” Jaiswal stated. The MEA held Trudeau’s “cavalier behavior” responsible for the deterioration of relations between the two nations, underscoring India’s stance that Canada had acted irresponsibly in making such serious claims without evidence.
India’s decision to withdraw its High Commissioner and diplomats came after it conveyed to Canada’s acting High Commissioner that it had no faith in the safety of Indian diplomats. Canada, in turn, ordered the expulsion of six Indian officials. However, MEA clarified that India had already recalled its officials before Canada’s decision.
