Amid the escalating diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh, notorious for his anti-India and pro-Khalistan views, triggered jeers and laughs from the journalists during a press conference in Ottawa. Exposing his absolute lack of understanding of diplomatic protocols, the NDP leader called for imposing sanctions against Indian diplomats.
“We support today’s decision to expel India’s diplomats and we’re calling on the Government of Canada yet again to put diplomat sanctions against India in place, ban the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Network (RSS) in Canada, and commit to pursuing the most severe consequences for anyone found to have participated in organised criminal activity on Canadian soil,” Jagmeet Singh said on 15th October.
Instead of taking media questions regarding his ‘sanction Indian diplomats’ statement, Jagmeet Singh walked out of the press conference. As Singh left the room, journalists started mocking Singh for the sheer absurdity of his statement with one of the reporters saying “That’s not how it works.”
HAPPENING NOW: Jagmeet Singh calls for "sanctions on Indian diplomats" and then exits the room to the sound of reporters laughing at him. One yells "that's not how it works" as her colleagues continue mocking Singh for another disastrous press conference. pic.twitter.com/Y7WqcDRkyw
— Alex Zoltan (@AmazingZoltan) October 15, 2024
Notably, on 14th October, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) issued a statement during a press conference on Monday accusing India of involvement in criminal activities in Canada. The agency claimed to have uncovered “direct links” between Indian diplomats in Canada and violent acts, including homicides. The RCMP claimed that these diplomats used their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, collecting intelligence on South Asian Canadians to target them through criminal proxies. The intelligence, according to the RCMP, was gathered through coercion, with some Canadian individuals and businesses threatened into cooperating with the Indian agents.
As reported earlier, the RCMP inadvertently admitted that Canada has become a safe haven for pro-Khalistan elements when they clarified that India’s actions are not targeting Sikhs as a whole, but specifically focusing on pro-Khalistani individuals. By acknowledging this, Canada inadvertently exposes the influence of Khalistani elements within its borders, while India continues to uphold its stance against terrorism, not a community.
India, in response, strongly rejected the Canadian claims and said that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023. However, the Canadian government has not shared a single piece of evidence with the Indian government despite many requests from them.
Citing the outrageous allegations levelled by the Canadian authorities against the Indian government, Jagmeet Singh launched a direct attack on the Modi government. He said: “It confirmed some of the background of how we got here. Really what it highlighted is that we’ve got the Indian government, specifically the Modi government, that is engaged through diplomats in Canada, criminal elements that have then gone on to shoot at Canadian homes, to shoot at Canadian businesses, to kill Canadians. That is very serious. As the RCMP mentioned, the briefing also mentioned, that there are deep concerns for Canadian safety, and that’s why I really believe it is our responsibility if we believe in protecting our country, I love this country, we need to do everything possible to keep people safe and to keep our democracy safe…,” Singh said.
