Justin Trudeau looked unhappy. He looked like something was biting his little left toe.
At a press conference on Monday, the Canadian prime minister seemed to think it was India—what with its spies and diplomats—that was giving him sleepless nights. How else can we explain his long face and longer harangue against India, which, he said, rejected “…clear and compelling evidence that agents of the government of India have engaged in and continue to engage in activities that pose a significant threat to public safety.” Ouch.
Trudeau sounded petulant. Like a small boy who hadn’t got what he wanted. What he didn’t get, according to him, was India’s “cooperation” in the ongoing investigation into the killing of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023 on Canadian soil.
Monday afternoon, the first news flashes said that India was withdrawing its top envoy in Canada because six Indian officials, including the Indian High Commissioner to Canada, had been identified as “persons of interest” in an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
The Indian government hit back, the Indian media hit back: it supported the government, saying Canada has shared no ‘credible evidence’ with India.
“Trudeau provokes India,” wrote CNN News 18; “India axes Canada diplomat—Canada loses its credibility, Tall claims but no proof,” added India Today.
If Trudeau had been smarting from what he called India’s rejection of Canada’s “advances” on the Nijjar case, he couldn’t have been prepared for the merciless attacks on him by Indian TV news channels.
“Blundering, short-sighted” is what Shiv Aroor called him on India Today. “How stupid is this Trudeau…very weak prime minister,” said Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Bizarre, ludicrous,” were adjectives used by Vishnu Som on NDTV 24×7; “Weird,” observed a participant on Republic TV.
Firstpost’s Palki Sharma said Justin Trudeau’s “myopia and political agenda have driven this [India-Canada] relationship to the ground…”
Also read: Indian TV news blame US, China, Pakistan for Bangladesh, call it ‘Islamist takeover’
What’s up with Justin Trudeau?
But why did Trudeau take on “the world’s largest democracy” (Shiv Aroor, India Today)? The Indian media came up with several explanations, largely in line with the Indian government’s thinking.
The most popular justification said Trudeau was playing domestic politics for election purposes. As India TV’s Rajat Sharma put it, “Justin Trudeau has made false allegations against India for his vote bank politics.”
The Times of India identified his “sliding popularity ratings and growing dissent against him which are being seen to have enhanced the need for him to woo the politically significant Sikh community.” (15 October 2024). “A pre-poll ploy,” TOI said.
Explanation 2: This was part of a conspiracy by Western powers to “target” the Narendra Modi government—“the deep state plan against Bharat,” explained Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami. This is in keeping with a viewpoint articulated by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi while speaking of the communal violence in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, last Sunday. He, too, spoke about “…the conspiracy against India…”
Another theory is that Canada is the new Pakistan—a haven for terrorists—and its government, instead of listening to India’s warnings and complaints regarding pro-Khalistan activity in the country, promotes “Khalistani terrorists and criminals…” said Aroor on India Today—that’s Canada’s “dirty truth”. Canada is now “hyphenated with Pakistan,” he added.
There’s a fourth argument which for Canada’s ‘war’ on India, which find considerable space in some English newspapers: Hindustan Times reported that “Trudeau is slated to appear before the Justice to Foreign Interference Commission…” on 16 October. The attack on India is to deflect accusations of China’s interference in Canada’s domestic affairs, wrote HT.
Similarly, in TOI article titled “Did an impending deposition spur Trudeau sabre-rattling,” the newspaper reported that Trudeau will appear before the JFIC “…to explain the charge that his government has been derelict in preventing China’s interference in domestic politics”.
Is Canada acting alone or does it have allies supporting it?
The Indian Express said that Canada and the US are “coordinating move”. Express also reported on the interesting sideshow to the main action in the Canadian capital of Ottawa: the visit to Washington by Indian intelligence officers in connection with the murder plot of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in stark contrast to India’s refusal to join Canada in its investigations.
HT and other news media told us something the television news ignored: that “a person identified as “CC1” in a US Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment…” in this case, had been removed from his post and he was under investigation.
Jaishankar’s Pakistan visit overshadowed
While the Indian media squarely holds Trudeau responsible for the “rock bottom” status of relations between the two countries (Gaurav Sawant, India Today), the Western media has been seeing the issue through ‘Five Eyes’—the intelligence alliance comprising US, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Washington Post, US, became a key player in the controversy with reports like this one.
And there was much more of the Canadian viewpoint in The New York Times story on Trudeau’s accusations.
BBC played it safe with a more balanced view.
An unforeseen fallout of Trudeau’s actions was poor coverage of S Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan for the SCO summit. The external affairs minister travelled to Islamabad, the first visit by an Indian minister since 2015. News TV had very few reports and no correspondents in Pakistan’s capital. That’s strange because newspaper and online reporters did cross the border.
Finally, and ironically, given this week’s developments, Canada and India made `good’ news together for reasons that have nothing to do with spies or diplomats. “Canada steps in to help,” reported NDTV 24×7 on Wednesday morning after a bomb hoax on an Air India flight forced it to land in the remote Canadian city of Iqaluit. An Air Canada aircraft transported the passengers to their destination of Chicago, US.
How’s that for cooperation?
The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)
We should start a campaign stating that Justin Trudeau is more concern about khalistani terrorist than it’s native Canadian citizen.
This will hit Justin Trudeau badly in his election