Anti-India Khalistani group in Canada won’t be able to sway April 28 election: India’s ex-envoy

Former Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Ajay Bisaria, played down the influence of Khalistani elements on Canadian politics, calling it a ‘disproportionate capture’ by a vocal and strategically active anti-India group.

Bisaria said that the Khalistani groups have been around for over 40 years, and are unlikely to play a significant role in determining the outcome of the April 28 elections in Canada.

“There is a certain capture, a disproportionate capture by a very smart and active anti-India Khalistani group. But this is a structural reality in Canadian politics for four decades. We have seen this in operation for a while, and these folks have a certain capture, but this election is not about them. I mean, they will not be a major determinant of the fate of the April 28 elections because I would argue that this election is about Trump,” Bisaria said in an interview with ANI.

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Bisaria also said that he was hopeful of improvement in India-Canada relations and even progress on a trade agreement.
“The broader point I am making is that we are at an inflection point and if Canada is talking in its national interest and not in the interest of a small vocal minority, which is smart at capturing parts of the polity, I would say that after the election, we still have good prospects to build this relationship, exchanging high commissioners possibly, even signing a trade agreement.”

“I would argue that this is a time to stabilise the relationship and normalise it, not withstanding this 40-year problem of vocal Khalistan is trying queer the pitch,” he added.

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Justin Trudeau’s successor, Mike Carney, has also spoken about a Canada-India thaw.

Before he was elected to succeed Justin Trudeau as the next Prime Minister of Canada, Carney had also hinted of “rebuilding relationships with India” if he assumed the top post. Ties between Delhi and Ottawa soured significantly over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.