Gap between action and words: India slams Trudeau’s ‘One India’ remarks

PTI, Oct 18, 2024, 8:54 AM IST

A day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke of ‘One India’ policy, India on Thursday said “no action” taken against anti-India elements there suggests there is a “gap” between action and words.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also told reporters that over the last several years, New Delhi has been reminding Ottawa to take actions against anti-India activities in that country.

He was responding to a query on the comments made by Trudeau while he was testifying before the public inquiry into foreign interference in federal electoral processes and democratic institutions.

“We have seen those comments of Prime Minister Trudeau that he believes in the ‘One India’ policy, but so far the actions that we have requested against anti-India elements who actually go against ‘One India’, who call for dismemberment and disunity of the country, who espouse separatist ideology…no action has been taken,” Jaiswal said.

“In a sense, there is a difference, there is a gap between action and words here,” he added.

As the Canadian Prime Minister testified before the Commission of Inquiry, the MEA early on Thursday said what it has heard only “confirms” New Delhi’s consistent stand that Canada has “presented us no evidence” in support of the serious allegations Ottawa chose to level against India and Indian diplomats.

Trudeau on Wednesday acknowledged that he had only intelligence and no “hard evidentiary proof” when he alleged the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year.

The MEA issued a statement in the early hours on Thursday in response to media queries related to Trudeau’s deposition, some of whose details came out in media reports.

“What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along — Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats,” the MEA spokesperson said in the statement.

The ministry further said, “The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone.” During the press briefing on Thursday evening, Jaiswal was also asked about the future direction of India-Canada ties.

“This is an evolving situation, so we will see,” he said.

The escalation in diplomatic row between India and Canada is a major downturn in already frosty ties between the two nations.

The relations between the two countries came under severe strain following Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing. New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s charges as “absurd”.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.

Nijjar, who was declared a terrorist by India, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 last year.

On a query on the safety of Indian or Indian-origin nationals in Canada, Jaiswal said that about 17-18 lakh Indian origin, and Indian citizens also, live in Canada, and “their safety is important”.

It is in hands of the Canadian government and “we hope they will keep them safe”, he added.

Asked about the visa situation, he said, the “visa situation not very good”.

Asked about the reports of alleged intimidation of some Indian-origin journalists in Canada, the MEA spokesperson said, “These are clear examples of intimidation and violence by those who openly espouse extremist and separatist ideologies.” “These are also examples of what afflicts Canada today and which reveal the sources of violence. Shifting the blame to India doesn’t work, in any manner,” he said.

On a query about former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, he said, “As we said earlier, she had come here at a short notice for safety reasons, and she continues to be here.” On a query related to a report on possible resumption of cricket ties between India and Pakistan, and if it was discussed on the sidelines of the SCO conclave in Islamabad, Jaiswal said, “It was not discussed.”