Beginning of the end for Trudeau and his vindictive anti-India politics

As Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that he will step down as the Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal leader once his party has chosen a new leader, the countdown has begun for a significant shift in the Canadian politics and, at the same time, also ignited some hope of the strained bilateral relationship between India and Canada, that hit rock bottom in 2024, getting an opportunity to improve this year.

The ties between India and Canada soured after Trudeau alleged in the Canadian Parliament last year that he has "credible allegations" of India's hand in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

A major diplomatic row erupted when Canada labelled India's High Commissioner and other diplomats as "persons of interest" in the investigation of Nijjar's death.

India denied all the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated", accusing Ottawa of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in the country.

In October, Trudeau, while testifying before Canada's foreign interference inquiry, admitted that India has been insisting on evidence over allegations levelled by Canada regarding the killing of Khalistani terrorist but his government had provided just intelligence, "not hard evidentiary proof."

Reacting strongly, India said that it only "confirms" New Delhi's consistent stand that Canada has "presented us no evidence" in support of the serious allegations Ottawa chose to level against India and Indian diplomats.

"The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

As the Khalistani extremists in Canada openly targeted Hindus and their places of worship in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also broke silence on the Canadian government's leniency towards these groups, including expressions of support from Trudeau that emboldened such factions.

"I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats. Such acts of violence will never weaken India's resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law," PM Modi posted on X in November.

Experts reckoned that PM Modi's explicit message served as a warning not only to Khalistani activists but also the Canadian government.

"Canada is on notice. Just to place this in context, the sentence 'such acts of violence will never weaken India's resolve' in PM Modi's post is as explicit a message as it gets that the Khalistanis in Canada are state-sponsored anti-India groups of thugs, criminals and terrorists," an analyst opined.

Trudeau was also continuously slammed, rebuked and trolled in his own backyard.

Ripping into Justin Trudeau for massively failing to control the rising Sikh extremism, former Premier of British Columbia Ujjal Dosanjh said that the Canadian Prime Minister, like some other politicians of the country, is pandering to a "well-orchestrated Sikh vote" to tip the balance in close elections.

"Trudeau, sociologically and politically, is an idiot, and you can actually quote me. I really don't care. Because he's an imbecile in terms of understanding how you build nations, how you build countries," Dosanjh told Canada's National Post in an interview on November 4 last year that appeared on the day Khalistani extremists attacked Hindu devotees at the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton.

The 78-year-old, who also served as Minister of Health in Paul Martin’s Liberal government, laid the blame squarely on Trudeau for fanning the Khalistani separatist movement to the point where it has become a major Canadian problem.

"He's never really understood that the vast majority of Sikhs are quite secular in their outlook, despite the fact that they go to the temple. Khalistanis are not a majority, and the fact nobody speaks against them is out of fear. Through intimidation, Khalistani supporters control many of the gurdwaras in Canada. It's Trudeau's fault that Canadians now equate Khalistanis with Sikhs, as if we are all Khalistanis if we're Sikhs," he said.

Prominent Sikh politicians, including Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also severely criticised the Canadian PM for patronising individuals having extremist tendencies.

Singh revealed that he was very much aware of Canada’s approach to Sikh extremism to which Trudeau not only turned a blind eye, but also patronized to enhance his political base.

"I told him in no uncertain terms of Punjab’s problems with Canada. It had become a haven of the Khalistani separatist movement, which no Punjabi wanted, and also of gun running, drugs and gangsters. I handed him a list of over 20 leading individuals who were actively involved in this movement, some were also members of his cabinet, one of whom was sitting beside him. I was promised that he would look into these grievances. On the contrary, since our meeting, these nefarious activities have grown," said Singh.