The external affairs ministry on Friday summoned Canadian high commissioner Nadir Patel and handed over a demarche warning that bilateral ties would be seriously damaged if the Prime Minister and ministers of his country continued to comment on the farmers’ protests in India.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had picked up the cudgels for the farmers – particularly their right to peaceful protest -- in a message to the Sikh community of Canada on Gurupurab on Monday.
Later on Friday, asked for a reaction at a news conference in Canada, Trudeau said: “Canada will always stand up for the right for peaceful protest anywhere around the world and we are pleased to see moves toward de-escalation and dialogue.”
Asked further if he was worried about damaging bilateral relations, Trudeau said: “Canada will always stand up for the right for peaceful protest and for human rights around the world.”
New Delhi, too, has in the past commented on internal matters of other countries, especially on basic human rights, which allowed India to punch way above its weight in the comity of nations even before it became a strong economy.
These include apartheid in South Africa, the atrocities in the erstwhile East Pakistan that resulted in the Indian intervention that helped create Bangladesh, the constitution-making process in Nepal when India sought seven amendments, and more recently the Citizenship (Amendment) Act to fast-track citizenship for select minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Besides Trudeau, several other Canadian public figures had expressed concern at the bid to clamp down on the protests.
Trudeau’s cabinet has five ministers with roots in Punjab. People with roots in Punjab account for about half the Indo-Canadian population.
On Friday, the Indian external affairs ministry said in a statement: “Such actions, if continued, would have a seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada. These comments have encouraged gatherings of extremist activities in front of our high commission and consulates in Canada that raise issues of safety and security. We expect the Canadian government to ensure the fullest security of Indian diplomatic personnel and its political leaders to refrain from pronouncements that legitimise extremist activism.”
More than the protests, the efforts last week to stop the farmers from proceeding towards Delhi had caught attention abroad.