First, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confessed to possessing no evidence when he accused the Indian government of being involved in the murder of Khalistani militant Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada’s NSA Nathalie Drouin and Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison have admitted that they have planted the anti-India story in the ‘Washington Post’. What next? Will India hit back and expose Ottawa? Will the India-Canada relations go further down?
India has made it clear that it is not going to be browbeaten by Justin Trudeau who wants to use anti-India rhetoric to win the support of Khalistani elements. Canada and India expelled each other’s six diplomats including the topmost official.
Recalled Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, told Indian media how a group of pro-Khalistanis attacked him with a sword that was a few inches close to his body when he went to attend an event in Canada’s Alberta province. Canada did not react to his charge.
India not only rejected the involvement in the murder of Nijjar, it also said that it was the result of the gang rivalry going on in that country. New Delhi’s point was proved when two gangsters, Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez, entered guilty pleas in the British Columbia Supreme Court in a trial for the killing of Malik.
Political observers believe the tense relationship between the two countries may go further south considering the stance taken by these countries. While Canada has kept on attacking India and accusing it of being involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen on their soil, India has hit back at Ottawa by accusing it of providing haven to anti-India elements and allowing gang war on its soil.
The situation will most likely be aggravated by Canada going to general elections next year. Trudeau’s Liberal Party won 160 and fell short of 170, required to get a simple majority in the House of Commons to form a government. However, it formed the government with the support of Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party, which won 25 seats.
Trudeau is facing a deep political crisis after Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said that the days of his government are “numbered” because the Liberals did not meet the demand to boost old age security payments.
However, Bloc Quebecois will need support from the leftist New Democratic Party, the Conservatives and other parties in the House of Commons. The NDP has supported Trudeau’s government so far, but Jagmeet Singh shocked them recently by declaring that the party would support Trudeau’s government on issues.
However, Bloc Quebecois will need support from the leftist New Democratic Party, the Conservatives and other parties in the House of Commons. The NDP has supported Trudeau’s government so far, but Jagmeet Singh shocked them recently by declaring that the party would support Trudeau’s government on issues.
Besides, Trudeau is facing an internal revolt and his party MPs and other members have asked him not to contest the next election. They came out in public after the Liberals lost special elections in the Toronto and Montreal districts. However, he rejected the demand and reiterated his intention to try his luck once again.
Political analysts believe Justin Trudeau is most likely to continue harping on the anti-India rhetoric so that it could woo the pro-Khalistan Sikh voters or keep them in good humour so that they could back his government once again if the Liberals fail to get a majority of its own in the next general election.
