Canada’s ruling Liberal party has always been accused of being too soft when it came to standing up to Sikh extremism.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on his first ever official visit to India. However, for most of the time during this official visit, he cut a lonely figure. Indian government’s lukewarm response to his visit surprised everyone. If we revisit the memory, just a month ago, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had visited India for the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extended the courtesy of welcoming him personally and of course giving him the famous ‘Modi hug’. Same was the case when he met former US President Barak Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In the last four years, the picture of PM Modi giving a personal welcome to world leaders has become so common that Modi missing in Justin Trudeau’s India visit pictures so far did not slip from people’s eyesight.
Many also pointed out that a Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Shekhawat was sent to receive the Canadian Prime Minister, a post that is equal to that of cabinet secretary in Canada. Canadian media was quick to pick up the “story” calling it a ‘snub’ from India. Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath not accompanying Justin Trudeau during his visit to Taj Mahal further fuelled the speculations. So, as Candice Malcolm, the author and columnist at the Toronto Sun observed, his official visit seemed a mere family vacation with ample photo-ops.
On official state visits to India, PM Modi personally greets and welcomes the Israeli PM, UAE Crown Prince and US President. For PM Trudeau, he sends a low-ranking official. “Canada is back” pic.twitter.com/ezsMtFTPzr
— Candice Malcolm (@CandiceMalcolm) February 17, 2018
Why was Trudeau treated as nobody’s Child?
One may wonder why the internet’s favourite celeb PM is being cold-shouldered by India. The reason lies in Canadian government’s alleged soft approach to Sikh Extremism. During early 1970s Sikh Extremism marked its significant rise in India’s Punjab province. The Khalistan movement, a violent agitation demanding a separate Sikh state for the called Khalistan gained momentum during the same period. It reached its peak in the 1980s. Following the Indian Army’s Operation Blue Star to flush out Bhindranwale, the Sikh violent extremist who was hiding in the holy site of the Sikhs Harminder Sahib also known as Golden temple, India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed by two of her Sikh bodyguards.
Anti-Sikh riots hit the country post her death, especially the national capital which resulted in most of the Sikhs fleeing out of India. Canada among all the foreign countries is home to the majority of the Sikh community. Sikhs account for less than 1.5 percent of Canada’s population but a major vote bank for Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party. This is also a reason why Trudeau inducted four Sikhs in his cabinet on key portfolios, including one on Defence Ministry.
Khalistan sympathizers in Trudeau’s Cabinet?
Time and again, the Sikh ministers in Justin Trudeau’s cabinet have been accused of being Khalistan sympathizers. Amarjeet Sohi, Infrastructure and Community Minister in Trudeau’s cabinet had also drawn flak for his alleged pro-Khalistan statement. Sohi had said, “If some people believe in the support or the movement of Khalistan, they are entitled to do so as long as they do it in a peaceful way.” Sohi was also arrested by Bihar police under TADA act for 21 months for allegedly having links with Khalistani hardliners and provoking the Naxalites in Bihar. However, he was later released at the behest of lack of evidence.
The Defence Minister of Canada, Harjit Sajjan has also been accused of sympathizing with Khalistan supporters. He is also believed to be affiliated with World Sikh Organization which is headquartered in Canada and advocates Khalistan movement.
The Cabinet Minister for Science and innovation, Navdeep Bains had once also praised the Saanjh Savera, a newspaper which often has World Sikh Organization leaders on advisory board, for its high “journalistic value”. In fact, the newspaper has been often accused of glorifying the Sikh extremists indulged in violence as ‘martyrs’. In 2002 and 2003, Saanjh Savera carried out front-page stories praising the Sikhs who assassinated former PM Indira Gandhi and former Indian army chief of staff Gen. Arun Sridhar Vaidya, who had spearheaded the Operation Blue Star. The headline on it read “Bow to the martyrs who got rid of the sinner”. WSO leaders Ajit Singh Sahota, Gurpreet Singh Bal were on the advisory board of the publication while Gurpreet’s brother Jaspal Bal was the Editor in chief of the newspaper.
Recently, the Indian counterpart also expressed reservations about Canada PM Justin Trudeau attending Khalsa day parade where Khalistani flags were raised and posters of Bhindranwale as a martyr were displayed.
WSO and Canada’s Liberal Party:
Canada’s ruling Liberal party has always been accused of being too soft when it came to standing up to Sikh extremism. The chief editor of Saanjh Saveraa, Jaspal Bal was among the delegates for Gerard Kennedy at the 2006 Liberal leadership convention. There were several incidents of Liberal Party turning a blind eye towards the brooding Sikh Extremism under their nose. Among these, highlight incident has to be April 7, 2007, Vaisakhi parade in Surrey, B.C. The Khalistani attackers who carried out the 1985 Air India 182 bombing in which many innocent Canadian died, were glorified in the parade.
Talwinder Parmar the founder of the Babbar Khalsa, an organization banned by European Union, US, Canada and India was the mastermind of the bombing. However, he managed to flee Canada in 1988 and was killed by Indian police in 1992. In the 2007 parade, Parmar was portrayed as a Martyr on two of the parade floats.
However, another Sikh party colleague openly spoke against the leaders of his party and community attending the parade. Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, stayed away from the parade and criticized the silence of his fellow politicians. He is constantly fighting against the extremism in the Canadian Sikh community.
India’s response to Canada:
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh after assuming office in 2017 had slammed the Canadian government for inducting Khalistani sympathizers in the cabinet. Last year when Harjit Sajjan paid a visit to Punjab Amarinder Singh even refused to meet him.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too is believed to have raised the issue with Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of World Economic Forum at Davos.
A high point for the High Commissioner to receive the Prime Minister of Canada on Indian soil. Aparna and I were delighted to welcome Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau at AFS Palam pic.twitter.com/f7ONqRZL0d
— Vikas Swarup (@VikasSwarup) February 17, 2018
The resurrecting Sikh Extremism has been a headache for the Indian government. Recently, Gurudwara’s in Canada banned the entry to Indian officials. The US Gurudwara’s followed the suit. In the UK last month, a Pro-Khalistan rally was held.
Amarinder Singh meets Justin Trudeau:
On Wednesday, ending the uncertainty around the meet with Canadian PM, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh agreed to meet the visiting PM, saving him from the embarrassment. Making a positive move in the direction of improving Indo-Canada relations, the CM held one-to-one talk with Trudeau and all his visiting cabinet ministers, including Harjit Sajjan. The CMO after the 40-minutes long meeting, in a press release, said that Trudeau categorically assured support to Punjab CM in cracking down separatism and hate crime by a fringe element, “constituting a minuscule percentage of Canada’s population.”
Pleasure meeting Canadian Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau. Look forward to my talks with him for further strengthening Indo-Canadian ties. pic.twitter.com/2yALzo2T7S
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 21, 2018
While the meet ends the deadlock between Punjab province and Canada on a positive note, for the Indo-Canada relation to flourish further the Canadian government must realize that Khalistan resurrection is a reality and the promises made by it do not turn out to be mere hollow assurance.
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