On 18th September, in a bizarre move, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed India for killing Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. In a statement, India categorically rejected the claims and urged the Canadian government to take strict action against anti-India elements on its soil.
Furthermore, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said as a consequence of the allegations, the Canadian government expelled a top Indian diplomat. Interestingly, PM Trudeau accused India in the Canadian parliament of killing Nijjar without providing any proof.
Najjar, who had been involved in Khalistani activities, was killed on 18th June outside Sikh Gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia. Trudeau claimed that Canadian intelligence agencies have been looking into the murder. He added that the matter was discussed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during G20 last week and claimed to have told PM Modi that any involvement of the Indian government would be unacceptable.
He said, “Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.”
“In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter,” he added.
Speaking to the media, Joly said, “If proven true, this would be a great violation of our sovereignty and of the most basic rule of how countries deal with each other. As a consequence, we have expelled a top Indian diplomat.”
Pro-Khalistan Canadian Sikh leader Jagmeet Singh called the allegations outrageous and shocking. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he said, “Today we learned of allegations that agents of the Indian Government murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar — a Canadian killed on Canadian soil. To all Canadians, this is my vow. I will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice, including holding Narendra Modi accountable.”
Reacting to the allegations, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said, “We are deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau. We remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. It is critical that Canada’s investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice.”
Trudeau’s ratings plunge on a month-to-month basis
As per recent Ababcus Data ratings, the Conservatives are leading in Canada as the Trudeau-led Federal Government’s disapproval rating has jumped to 57%. Only 29%, 2% less than the 4th September rating, approve of the Federal government. Since 2015, the disapproval rating was highest on 14th September.
The personal image of the Canadian Prime Minister has also worsened, as only 27% see his performance as positive. In comparison, 56% of the Canadian population is unhappy with him, giving him a net favourable rating of -29%t. Notably, the negative impression of Trudeau among the Canadian population was 39% in June 2021, which has risen sharply by almost 20 per cent in two years.
Canadian PM is consolidating with the Khalistani voters and targeting India to please them.
India has expressed concerns over the rise of Khalistani elements in Canada
Notably, PM Narendra Modi expressed strong concerns over rising Khalistani elements in Canada during the G20 summit in New Delhi. From time to time, India has cautioned Canada to handle the anti-India elements on its soil. However, Trudeau’s government’s response to India’s demand has always been inefficient. As a result, there have been several instances where Khalistani elements have used Canadian soil for anti-India activities.
Since the murder of Nijjar, Khalistanis have accused India of the killing. Trudeau’s statement would only fuel the allegations further, putting Indian diplomats and Indian nationals living in Canada at risk. Khalistanis have openly called for killing Indian diplomats via posters and social media posts, but Canada has failed to act.
Notably, around 7,70,000 Sikhs live in Canada, making up around 2% of its population. Due to Canada’s behaviour, relations between Canada and India have been tense. Trade talks have been derailed, and recently, Canada announced that it had cancelled a trade mission with India.