Khalistani Protests: India on Thursday (July 6) reacted sharply to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement in which, while answering questions from journalists, he said that everyone has freedom of expression on Canadian soil. India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stressed that such freedom cannot be used to incite violence or promote terrorist activities.
Arindam Bagchi has said that the Government of Canada has been asked to take strict action against those who propagate violence and separatism. Bagchi further said that the issue is not about freedom of expression but its misuse for advocating violence, propagating separatism and legitimizing terrorism.
What Did Trudeau Say?
Responding to a question, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he may not be inclined to act against Khalistan supporters as he counts on Sikh votes. The Canadian PM also insisted that his government has taken severe action against terrorism and will always do so.
Also, recently Trudeau said that Canada is a country of diversity. Everyone has freedom of expression here. It is wrong to say that India has Sikh extremism on Canadian soil. Trudeau also referred to the statement of India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and said that ‘radical, extremist’ ideologies are ‘neither good for us, nor for them, nor our relations (with each other)’.
Controversial Rally Organized On July 8
This statement of Trudeau came two days before the rally organized on July 8. Significantly, after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Khalistan supporters have released the poster “Kill India”. The poster has photographs of Sanjeev Kumar Verma, High Commissioner of the Indian Embassy in Ottawa, Canada and Apoorva Srivastava, Consulate General in Toronto.
