'Laughing stock, unprofessional...' Trudeau's political opponent fires salvos at him over row with India

Canada's Conservative Party leader and main rival to Justin Trudeau in the upcoming elections, Pierre Poilievre, has opened salvos at the Canadian prime ministerstating that he has made himself a "laughing stock" in India. This comes after Trudeau and Canada's foreign minister gave a sequence of unwelcomed remarks accusing India of breaking international norms shortly after 41 Canadian diplomats left India following the diplomatic row over Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing.

In an interview with Nepal's Namaste Radio Toronto, Poilievre criticised the current state of the Canada-India relationship, blaming Trudeau for what he termed "incompetence and unprofessionalism." He also pledged to restore a "professional relationship" with India if his party were to assume power.

Poilievre lamented the deteriorating relations between the two nations, especially in the wake of the withdrawal of Canadian diplomats.

“Justin Trudeau is considered a laughing stock in India – the world’s biggest democracy,”Poilievre said and added,“This is another example of how Justin Trudeau is not worth the cost after eight long years."

“He has turned Canadians against each other at home and he has blown up our relations abroad,"the leader of the opposition in Canada said, adding,“He is so incompetent and unprofessional that now we are in major disputes with every major power in the world, and that includes India."

“We need a professional relationship with the Indian government. India is the largest democracy on Earth and it’s fine to have our disagreements and hold each other accountable, but we have to have a professional relationship and that is what I will restore when I am prime minister of this country,” he continued.

Poilievre also criticised various aspects of Trudeau's foreign policy, asserting that the Canadian prime minister allowed President Joe Biden to take advantage of him and accused China of interfering in Canadian democracy.

“After eight years of Trudeau, our reputation is in tatters. Beijing is interfering in our country, opening police stations in Canada to abuse our people," he said, adding, “President Biden is walking all over Trudeau and treating him like a doormat and slapping him around like a rag doll."

(With inputs from agencies)

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