Agencies
New Delhi
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday strongly criticised Canada after visuals of a parade float depicting the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi in that country’s Brampton city surfaced.
Jaishankar wondered ‘why it gives space to extremists’.
Addressing a press conference to highlight achievements of the Centre in the last nine years in terms of foreign policy, Jaishankar said in response to the incident, “I don’t know why Canada does this. Giving space to extremist elements is not good for it.”
“Because if you look at their history, you would imagine that they learn from history and they would not like to repeat that history. It is not only one incident, however, egregious it may be,” Jaishankar said.
“Frankly, we are at a loss to understand other than the requirements of vote bank politics why anybody would do this. I think there is a larger underlying issue about the space which is given to separatists, to extremists, to people who advocate violence,” he added.
To another query on a Canadian government official blaming India of meddling in its affairs, Jaishankar quipped, “Rather we have complaints against Canada on the space it gives to Khalistani elements. It is like the saying in Hindi – ‘Ulta chor kotwal ko daante.’”
The minister went on to add that such incidents of Khalistani elements creating ruckus have also occurred in many other countries like the United Kingdom and Australia. “Our request to all these nations is that they should not be taken seriously, as these are marginal elements and are a small minority,” Jaishankar said.
Meanwhile, on the issue of many Indian students facing deportation in Canada due to fraudulent admissions, Jaishankar said that they should not be penalised for someone else’s crime.
The External Affairs Minister said the students took admission and studied at those colleges in good faith and it is “unfair to punish” them.
Meanwhile, the Congress party on Thursday condemned the “glorification” of the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi at a parade in Canada.
The party asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi why he has not spoken to his Canadian counterpart on the issue.
The Congress also urged Jaishankar to take up strongly with Canadian authorities the inclusion of a float depicting the former prime minister’s assassination in a parade in Brampton.
While Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate hit out at Jaishankar for making a “general comment” on the issue, her party colleague Milind Deora welcomed the minister’s “condemnation of the Canadian tableau that celebrated the assassination of Indira Gandhi”.
Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said it is “reprehensible and condemnable” that Prime Minister Modi is silent on the issue and asked whether he is viewing everything with a political motive.
“The assassination of a former prime minister is celebrated and the prime minister of India does not say a single word… Why is the Government of India silent,” he asked. Perhaps, this is the reason why secessionists are raising their head in Punjab once again, he said.
“Why does the Prime Minister not talk to his counterpart in Canada? … Why has the Canadian ambassador in India not been summoned and a strong protest lodged,” the Congress general secretary asked. Surjewala said every country should be told that no anti-India campaign will be allowed.
This is not a partisan issue that the prime minister and his government have chosen to keep quiet. Such incidents have greater ramifications for peace in Punjab and the rest of the country, he said. The External Affairs minister should summon the Canadian envoy and lodge a strong protest over the incident, he added.
Earlier, Canadian High Commissioner to India Cameron Mackay said he was “appalled” by the reports of the event in his country that “celebrated” the assassination of Gandhi. “There is no place in Canada for hate or for the glorification of violence. I categorically condemn these activities,” he said in a tweet.
Deora shared on Twitter a purported video, which is doing the rounds on social media, of the float at the Brampton parade depicting Gandhi’s assassination.
“As an Indian, I’m appalled by the 5 km-long parade, which took place in the city of Brampton, Canada, depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi,” the former Union minister said. “It’s not about taking sides, it’s about respect for a nation’s history and the pain caused by its prime minister’s assassination,” Deora said. This extremism deserves universal condemnation and a united response, he asserted.
Sharing Deora’s tweet, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “I entirely agree! This is despicable and Dr S Jaishankar should take it up strongly with the Canadian authorities.”
Responding to Deora’s tweet, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, “You are completely right… There should be no politics in condemning this despicable act across party lines.”