'Ill-informed, unwarranted': India takes strong objection to remarks by Canadian leaders on farmers' protest

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday reacted strongly to remarks made by some Canadian leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on the ongoing farmers' agitation and called these comments "ill-informed" and "unwarranted".
In a terse message, the government asked Canadian leaders to refrain from commenting on India's internal affairs and maintain the sanctity of diplomatic conversations.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been protesting for the last six days at the borders of the national capital against three farm laws enacted by the government.
"We've seen some ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India. These are unwarranted especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country. It's also best that diplomatic conversations aren't misrepresented for political purposes," ministry of external affairs said without taking the name of Trudeau.
Referring to the farmers' agitation, Trudeau had on Monday called the situation "concerning" and had said that Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protests.
"The situation is concerning and we are all very worried about family and friends and I know that is a reality for many of you. Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest," Turdeau had said at an online event to mark the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
Addressing the Indian community, Trudeau said he would be remiss if he didn't recognise the "news coming out of India about the protest by farmers."
Trudeau further claimed that Canada had voiced its concerns to Indian authorities. "We believe in the importance of dialogue and that is why we have reached out through multiple means directly to Indian authorities to highlight our concerns," the Canadian PM said in a video posted on his Twitter account.
Canada has a significant number of Indians and many of them are from Punjab.
Trudeau is not the only Canadian leader to go public with his views on the issue, his Indian-origin defence minister Harjit Sajjan had also expressed concern over the situation.
"The reports of peaceful protesters being brutalized in India are very troubling. Many of my constituents have family there and are worried about the safety of their loved ones. Healthy democracies allow peaceful protest. I urge those involved to uphold this fundamental right," Sajjan had tweeted on Sunday.
Earlier some Canadian MPs and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh had also raised concerns about the use of force on farmers from Punjab as they marched towards Delhi.