<p>As tensions brew between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, WION reached out to Dr&nbsp;Vivek Mishra, a Fellow with ORF's Strategic Studies Programme, to dissect the situation and offer a nuanced perspective on Canada's stance regarding the Khalistani movement and its broader implications. Dr&nbsp;Mishra said that Trudeau is playing vote bank politics to keep the political support he needs to remain in power. He highlighted that the Trudeau government heavily relies on support from the New Democratic Party (NDP).&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The Trudeau government is banking on peripheral support by the NDP - a political party that openly supports Khalistanis and ignores their wrongdoing and even illegal citizenship. If the NDP pulls its support today, the Trudeau govt will fall. So the motivation is obvious," he said.</p>

<p>"The Canadian government should do some soul-searching here. They have willfully let relations with India fall precipitously and we know that the support of political representations inside Canada like the NDP has played a key role.</p>

<p>"But broadly, the Liberal Party has been sympathetic to these causes since Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau's father. However, these are different times, and don't expect India to let the Canadian government's false allegations pass," he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/tit-for-tat-new-delhi-cautions-indians-against-travelling-to-canada-amidst-diplomatic-standoff-637878">New Delhi issues advisory, cautions against hate crimes and violence in Canada</a></p>

<p>Dr&nbsp;Mishra strongly criticised Canada's allegations, describing them as "an absolute travesty of statecraft."&nbsp;</p>

<p>He argued that India should be more concerned about Canada's interference in its internal affairs. Dr&nbsp;Mishra pointed to the substantial impact of economic and human resources mobilised in Canada through Khalistani factions, which he says "is challenging India's sovereignty and territorial integrity."</p>

<h2><strong>Bilateral relations and geopolitical ramifications&nbsp;</strong></h2>

<p>Mishra said Canada has lost its standing in Asia, potentially impacting its Indo-Pacific policy and diminishing its role in the Indian Ocean.</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/data-lab-will-the-nijjar-clash-turn-india-canada-trade-ties-sour-637933">Data Lab: Will the Nijjar clash turn India-Canada trade ties sour?</a></p>

<p>"In one fell swoop, Canada has lost Asia...&nbsp;expect the bilateral relations to go south for a while at least. Most of all, Canada can kiss its Indo-Pacific policy goodbye, or operate without any anchor in the Indian Ocean, which will not have much worth anyway," he told WION.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The expert questioned Canada's attempts to form collectives through alliances like the five-eyes (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States), suggesting that countries would be hesitant to level allegations against India without substantial evidence.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/5-biggest-controversies-in-canadian-pm-justin-trudeaus-career-637861">5 biggest controversies in Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's career</a></strong></p>

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<p>"No country is going to base expectations, least of all their bilateral ties on allegations by a partner, which stands on flimsy grounds," the expert noted.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Khalistani sentiments in British Columbia</strong></h2>

<p>Lastly, Mishra pointed out British Columbia as "a hotspot for nurturing Khalistani sentiments inside Canada."&nbsp;He cited specific incidents, such as the murder of Nijjar, the defacement of Hindu temples, and threats to Indian diplomats, all originating from this province.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We hope that the Canadian opposition should make this issue front and centre and expose the current Liberal party's agenda on this issue," he concluded.&nbsp;</p>

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As tensions brew between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, WION reached out to Dr Vivek Mishra, a Fellow with ORF's Strategic Studies Programme, to dissect the situation and offer a nuanced perspective on Canada's stance regarding the Khalistani movement and its broader implications.

As tensions brew between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, WION reached out to Dr Vivek Mishra, a Fellow with ORF's Strategic Studies Programme, to dissect the situation and offer a nuanced perspective on Canada's stance regarding the Khalistani movement and its broader implications. Dr Mishra said that Trudeau is playing vote bank politics to keep the political support he needs to remain in power. He highlighted that the Trudeau government heavily relies on support from the New Democratic Party (NDP). "The Trudeau government is banking on peripheral support by the NDP - a political party that openly supports Khalistanis and ignores their wrongdoing and even illegal citizenship. If the NDP pulls its support today, the Trudeau govt will fall. So the motivation is obvious," he said. "The Canadian government should do some soul-searching here. They have willfully let relations with India fall precipitously and we know that the support of political representations inside Canada like the NDP has played a key role. "But broadly, the Liberal Party has been sympathetic to these causes since Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau's father. However, these are different times, and don't expect India to let the Canadian government's false allegations pass," he added. Also Read | New Delhi issues advisory, cautions against hate crimes and violence in Canada Dr Mishra strongly criticised Canada's allegations, describing them as "an absolute travesty of statecraft." He argued that India should be more concerned about Canada's interference in its internal affairs. Dr Mishra pointed to the substantial impact of economic and human resources mobilised in Canada through Khalistani factions, which he says "is challenging India's sovereignty and territorial integrity." Bilateral relations and geopolitical ramifications Mishra said Canada has lost its standing in Asia, potentially impacting its Indo-Pacific policy and diminishing its role in the Indian Ocean. Also Read | Data Lab: Will the Nijjar clash turn India-Canada trade ties sour? "In one fell swoop, Canada has lost Asia... expect the bilateral relations to go south for a while at least. Most of all, Canada can kiss its Indo-Pacific policy goodbye, or operate without any anchor in the Indian Ocean, which will not have much worth anyway," he told WION. The expert questioned Canada's attempts to form collectives through alliances like the five-eyes (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States), suggesting that countries would be hesitant to level allegations against India without substantial evidence. Watch | 5 biggest controversies in Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's career × "No country is going to base expectations, least of all their bilateral ties on allegations by a partner, which stands on flimsy grounds," the expert noted. Khalistani sentiments in British Columbia Lastly, Mishra pointed out British Columbia as "a hotspot for nurturing Khalistani sentiments inside Canada." He cited specific incidents, such as the murder of Nijjar, the defacement of Hindu temples, and threats to Indian diplomats, all originating from this province. "We hope that the Canadian opposition should make this issue front and centre and expose the current Liberal party's agenda on this issue," he concluded. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. ×

Trudeau playing vote bank politics, Canada meddling in India's affairs: Expert rips into Ottawa

<p>In an unprecedented development, India on Tuesday summoned UK's high commissioner to Delhi Alex Ellis to lodge a strong protest after a discussion in UK Parliament over India's farm laws. The meeting took place in the UK house of commons Westminster hall in response to an e-petition campaign.</p>

<p>The UK HC, in a rare summoning by India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, was handed over a demarche or diplomatic note of protests over "unwarranted and tendentious discussion" on "agricultural reforms" in India in the British Parliament.</p>

<p>The readout by India's Ministry of External Affairs said that the foreign secretary "made clear" that this "represented a gross interference in the politics of another democratic country" advising that British MPs should "refrain from practising vote bank politics by misrepresenting events, especially concerning another fellow democracy."</p>

<p>The strongly-worded statement comes even as the Indian high commission in London, just hours before had slammed the "one-sided discussion" of UK MPs calling out the "false assertions - without substantiation or facts - were made, casting aspersions on the largest functioning democracy in the world and its institutions."</p>

<p>This is not the first time such developments have happened. In the past also, Westminster hall has seen similar discussions. The discussion saw several MPs speaking against India, which included Pakistan origin UK MP Khalid Mahmood, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi.</p>

<p>Dhesi said, "Imagine our collective pain when we see scenes of tear gas and water cannon and brute force being used against farmers". Jeremy Corbyn, who was the leader of the labour party till last year highlighted the "unprecedented nature" of protest which is the biggest ever "industrial dispute".</p>

<p>The British government had strongly defended the Indian government during the discussion with the UK government's Minister of State for Asia, Nigel Adams pointing out that "India's agriculture reforms are India's internal matter."</p>

<p>India and UK have seen high-level engagement; with UK PM Boris Johnson expected to visit India and Indian PM Narendra Modi to visit UK for the G7 summit later this year.</p>


In an unprecedented development, India on Tuesday summoned UK's high commissioner to Delhi Alex Ellis to lodge a strong protest after a discussion in UK Parliament over India's farm laws.

In an unprecedented development, India on Tuesday summoned UK's high commissioner to Delhi Alex Ellis to lodge a strong protest after a discussion in UK Parliament over India's farm laws. The meeting took place in the UK house of commons Westminster hall in response to an e-petition campaign. The UK HC, in a rare summoning by India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, was handed over a demarche or diplomatic note of protests over "unwarranted and tendentious discussion" on "agricultural reforms" in India in the British Parliament. The readout by India's Ministry of External Affairs said that the foreign secretary "made clear" that this "represented a gross interference in the politics of another democratic country" advising that British MPs should "refrain from practising vote bank politics by misrepresenting events, especially concerning another fellow democracy." The strongly-worded statement comes even as the Indian high commission in London, just hours before had slammed the "one-sided discussion" of UK MPs calling out the "false assertions - without substantiation or facts - were made, casting aspersions on the largest functioning democracy in the world and its institutions." This is not the first time such developments have happened. In the past also, Westminster hall has seen similar discussions. The discussion saw several MPs speaking against India, which included Pakistan origin UK MP Khalid Mahmood, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi. Dhesi said, "Imagine our collective pain when we see scenes of tear gas and water cannon and brute force being used against farmers". Jeremy Corbyn, who was the leader of the labour party till last year highlighted the "unprecedented nature" of protest which is the biggest ever "industrial dispute". The British government had strongly defended the Indian government during the discussion with the UK government's Minister of State for Asia, Nigel Adams pointing out that "India's agriculture reforms are India's internal matter." India and UK have seen high-level engagement; with UK PM Boris Johnson expected to visit India and Indian PM Narendra Modi to visit UK for the G7 summit later this year.

'Unwarranted discussion': India summons British envoy over debate on farm laws in UK Parliament

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Trudeau playing vote bank politics, Canada meddling in India's affairs: Expert rips into Ottawa

'Unwarranted discussion': India summons British envoy over debate on farm laws in UK Parliament