NEW DELHI: A day after a video of a tableau glorifying late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination at an event in Brampton, Canada, surfaced on the social media, external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar underlined that Canada allowing anti-India elements to operate from its soil was neither good for the bilateral relationship nor for itself.
Making clear India’s objections and unhappiness at Canada giving space to Khalistani separatist and extremist elements, Jaishankar said: “I think there is a larger underlying issue about the space that Canada has continuously given to separatists, to extremists, to people who advocate violence and I think it is not good for relationships and not good for Canada… Frankly, we are at a loss to understand, other than the requirements of vote-bank politics, why anybody would do this. 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.”
The tableau at Brampton, organised by “Khalistani” elements to mark the 39th anniversary of Operation Bluestar in June 1984, depicted Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her security guards on October 31, 1984. She was shown in a blood-soaked attire with her securitymen shooting her. It also had a poster saying the assassination was “revenge for the attack on Shri Darbar Sahib”, referring to the late PM ordering the Indian Army into the Golden Temple in 1984 to neutralise top Khalistani extremists.
Furious over this glorification of Gandhi’s assassination in Canada, the Congress had urged the minister to take up the matter strongly with the Canadian authorities. “As an Indian, I’m appalled by the 5 km-long parade which took place in the city of Brampton, Canada, depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi,” tweeted Congress leader Milind Deora. “It’s not about taking sides, it’s about respect for a nation’s history and the pain caused by its Prime Minister’s assassination. This extremism deserves universal condemnation and a united response,” he added.
Tagging Deora’s tweet, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said: “I entirely agree! This is despicable and Jaishankar should take it up strongly with the Canadian authorities.”
On Wednesday, as the video surfaced, India’s high commission in Ottawa sent a note to the Canadian government voicing its displeasure and objections to such activities. In New Delhi, Canada’s high commissioner Cameron MacKay said there was no place in Canada for “hate or glorification of violence”.
India has been constantly asking Canada to keep a check on Khalistani elements active in the country trying to destablise India.
Interestingly, Canada’s national security adviser Jody Thomas had on Friday tagged India along with Russia, Iran and China as countries that interfere in the domestic politics of other nations. “When I talk about foreign interference and economic security, I’m now talking about a number of state actors and non-state proxies. This includes Russia, Iran, India… That said, the actor that comes up most on these issues, and it’s no surprise to anybody, is China,” she said.
Responding to this, Jaishankar said on Thursday: “When I heard this, the phrase which came to my mind was ‘Ulta chor kotwal ko daante...’ If anybody has a complaint, it is we who have a complaint about Canada for the space that they are giving to Khalistanis and to violent extremes. So, I was very perplexed by what I heard.”
The minister also batted for about 700 Indian students who are facing difficulties in Canada over charges that they did not study in the colleges they applied for. The minister said India has taken up the issue with the Canadian authorities and was actively pursuing the matter.
“If there were people who misled the students, the culpable parties should be acted (against). It is unfair to punish a student who undertook education in good faith,” the EAM said, and added that Canadian PM Justin Trudeau had also made a statement in the House of Commons on the issue.
“We are deeply aware of cases of international students facing removal orders over fraudulent college acceptance letters. Our focus is in identifying the culprits, not penalising the victims. The victims of fraud will have an opportunity to demonstrate their situation and present evidence to support their case. We remain committed to supporting the victims of fraud as we evaluate each case,” Mr Trudeau said.
