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Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh lashed out at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday for “ruining” ties with India. The remarks came amid an escalating diplomatic row — days after both countries expelled diplomats in tit-for-tat moves.
“Trudeau is interested in only one thing and that is getting the Sikh votes for his own election. He will not let normalcy return until the elections are over. …he does not care what happens. He cannot win unless he takes the support of the Khalistanis. He has done this earlier also. He is promoting Khalistanis,” Captain Amarinder Singh told reporters.
The senior BJP leader also recalled a 2018 visit by the Canadian Prime Minister during his term in office as Punjab CM. Singh said that he had also refused to meet the then Canadian defence minister Harjit Sajjan during his visit to India and called him a “Khalistani sympathiser”.
“When Trudeau came here, he wanted to meet me. I said I do not want to meet him. He wanted to visit Punjab. Then the government of India took a stand and said if you do not go and meet the chief minister, you cannot go to Punjab. Then we had to meet,” he said.
Ties between India and Canada soured last year after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in Parliament that he had “credible allegations” of India’s hand in the killing of separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India has denied all the allegations, calling them “absurd” and “motivated” and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in their country.
(With inputs from agencies)