MEA dismisses Canada's election interference accusations, says it's meddling in India's internal affairs

India has firmly rejected Canada's claims of interference in Canadian democratic processes. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the allegations as unfounded during a routine press briefingon Thursday (Feb 8).This comes as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service labelled India as a 'foreign interference threat' in a recent report.

While highlighting that India has a commitment to non-interference in other nations' democratic procedures, the MEA spokesperson stated, "We strongly reject such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections."

Moreover, Jaiswal accused Canada of meddling in India's internal affairs. He underscored India's consistent communication with Canada on this matter and urged Canada to address India's concerns effectively.

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“In fact, quite the reverse, it is Canada who has been interfering in our internal affairs. We have been raising this issue regularly with them, and we continue to call on Canada to take effective measures to address our core concerns."

In the Canadian intel report, China and Russia were also mentioned for their alleged meddling in Canadian politics. The report pointed at China as the primary threat to Canadian democracy.

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In the wake of this report, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a probe into alleged Indian interference in the country's elections in 2019 and 2021.

Besides the purported involvement in Canada's electoral system, China is also facing accusations of establishing illicit police stations throughout Canada.

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Diplomatic tensions between India and Canada escalated following Trudeau's assertion in the country's parliament regarding 'credible allegations' against New Delhi in the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Subsequently, a tit-for-tat exchange of diplomat expulsions ensued, exacerbating the strained relations between the two countries.

Earlier, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a hard-hitting statement against Canada over its elections interference allegations said it is like "the pot calling the kettle black"."I was....what shall I say, the phrase which came to my mind was actually a Hindi phrase which was: 'Ulta chor kotwal ko daantey' (the pot calling the kettle black)," Jaishankar added.

(With inputs from agencies)