New Delhi, India – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments on the continuing protests by farmers in India have not been well received by the Hindu nationalist government, calling his comments “unjustified”.
“We have seen some misinformed comments from Canadian leaders regarding farmers in India. Such comments are unjustified, especially when they concern the internal affairs of a democratic country, ”said Indian Foreign Ministry (MEA) spokesman Anurag Srivastava on Tuesday.
“It is also better that diplomatic talks are not misrepresented for political purposes.”
Speaking at an online event to mark the 551st birthday of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, the Canadian leader said that the news from India was “disturbing” and that his country would “always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protest “. ”.
Thousands of farmers have been camping on the outskirts of the Indian capital New Delhi for nearly a week, demanding that the controversial farm laws enacted by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) be lifted.
In the global family of our planet, it is always encouraging that world leaders defend the right of citizens to protest. #JustinTrudeau https://t.co/MLlxk9YP5J
– Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) December 1, 2020
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended the laws and accused opposition parties of misleading farmers, calling the bills “anti-farmer”. His government says the new laws will bring much-needed private investment to the crisis-hit agricultural sector.
Lower farm income
In recent decades, the share of agriculture in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has declined as the agricultural sector has been affected by high indebtedness, poor harvests, drought, and low product prices. The sector represents 15 percent of the economy, but employs more than half of the country’s 1.3 billion people.
Farmers fear that the minimum support price (MSP), the price at which the government buys agricultural products, will be gradually abolished and left at the mercy of private actors.
Have @JustinTrudeau Did you “express concern” about the peaceful protests in Hong Kong? Thailand Poland? France? Bangladesh? And the many countries that have seen protests in recent weeks? Or are you interested in defending the rights of only politically relevant groups?
– Palki Sharma (@palkisu) December 1, 2020
Several politicians from the UK, Canada, Australia and the US have expressed solidarity with Indian farmers in recent days and criticized the way the Modi government has handled the biggest protests in years.
Trudeau has added four ministers of Indian origin to his cabinet, three of whom are from the minority Sikh community. [File: Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
But Trudeau became the first head of a country to comment on the issue that has put the Modi government on the defensive.
On Tuesday, #Canada was trending on Twitter when Indians shared their views on social media in the wake of Trudeau’s comments.
“He is not responsible for law and order in our country. It is something that the current government has to take care of and the government is taking care of everything and involving farmers, ”BJP spokesman Syed Zafar Islam told Al Jazeera.
A spokesman for the Shiv Sena party, which rules the western state of Maharashtra, said that “India’s internal problem is not the pasture of another nation’s politics.”
“Please respect the courtesies we always provide to other nations,” Priyanka Chaturvedi said of Trudeau’s comments.
Sikh minority in Canada
Canada is home to a large number of Indian immigrants, mostly from the state of Punjab, where most of the current protesters have farms. Trudeau has been hailed for his pro-immigrant policy. He has added four ministers of Indian origin to his cabinet, three of whom are from the minority Sikh community.
Indian politicians have accused Canadian leaders, including current Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan, of having ties to Khalistani groups, believed to have been behind an armed rebellion in the state of Punjab during the 1980s by a state. Sikh separated. Sajjan denied the allegations.
As #JustinTrudeau supported farmers
Bhakts- It is for Sikh vows.
OpIndia- Trudeau has Khalistani connections
MEA spox: it’s our internal business.Conclusion- Without introspection, attack the critic, with all his might.
– Anu Mittal (@stylistanu) December 1, 2020
The Khalistani issue overshadowed Trudeau’s visit to India in 2018, during which the Modi government despised the Canadian prime minister, known for his strident anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim policies.
“Trudeau has a large NRI (Non-resident India) constituency with several Sikh ministers. I think he is talking to them too and is seeing the farmers’ protest as a human rights issue. Human rights issues always have an international dimension, ”said Shiv Visvanathan, author and social scientist.
Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan, left, was accused of having ties to hardline Sikh groups. [File: Blair Gable/Reuters] [File: Blair Gable/Reuters]
“Trudeau will always love serving the Indian constituency that is his voting bloc. Every time you upload it, you get positive points. It gives you an image of a human rights activist. He shows his concern for his Indian constituency and also shows immediate awareness to his constituents that he knows what is happening in India at this stage. “
Journalist and political commentator Paranjoy Guha Thakurta endorsed the Canadian Prime Minister.
“Just because he is the head of the Canadian government does not mean that what he is saying is wrong and it is also incidental that a large number of immigrants from Punjab have settled in Canada. What Trudeau is saying is that the right of people to protest in a public space must be respected, in a democracy, ”he said.
If the Modi government had “respected the wishes of the farmers, they would not have rushed to pass these three agricultural laws in parliament, without proper consultation with the different stakeholders, they would not be in the mess that they are currently in”, Thakurta said. .
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