Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday sparked a diplomatic spat between New Delhi and Ottawa after he voiced support for Indian farmers, saying that his country was in talks with the BJP-led government on the issue.
According to India Today, the premier was speaking to Sikh Canadians via a video link on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
For the past few weeks, more than 300,000 farmers from India's Punjab province have been staging protests in Delhi against the government's new central farm laws. Farmers opine that the legislation contains "contentious provisions" and are demanding the government revise it as it goes against their interests.
"We are all very worried about family and friends [in India]," PM Trudeau said, "Canada always stood for peaceful protests and would continue to defend the rights of peaceful protesters."
The premier continued: "We believe in the process of dialogue. We’ve reached out through multiple means to the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns. This is a moment for all of us to pull together."
According to the report, Canada has a huge population from the Sikh community, and many of its members hold important ministers in the Canadian cabinet.
India did not like Trudeau's comments very much as external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "We have seen some ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India. Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country. It is also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes," he said.
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi took to Twitter and said, "touched by your concern but India’s internal issue is not fodder for another nation’s politics. Please respect the courtesies that we always extend to other nations."
India on Friday summoned Canada's ambassador and warned of serious damage to diplomatic ties after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented on growing protests by farmers, authorities said.
Tens of thousands of Indian farmers have been trying for more than a week to encircle the capital New Delhi in protest at new laws on farm produce trading.
There have been clashes with police and Trudeau released a Twitter video this week calling the events "concerning" and saying farmers should be allowed to stage peaceful protests.
The protests are led by farmers from Punjab, an Indian state which accounts for many migrants in Canada.
The Indian foreign ministry said it had summoned Canada's top diplomat for a warning over "unacceptable interference" in India's internal matters.
"Such actions, if continued, would have a seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada," said a statement.
The ministry said "ill-informed" comments by Trudeau and other Canadian politicians had encouraged "extremist" gatherings in front of Indian missions in Canada.
"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."
The Indian government has passed reforms which enable farmers to sell produce anywhere in India and avoid state-run markets.
Farming still dominates the Indian economy and forms a powerful political bloc but it has been in crisis for many years. Thousands of small farmers have committed suicide in recent years, blaming their debts.
Two entry points into New Delhi are now being guarded by heavily armed security forces against farmers who want to protest inside the capital.
Talks between ministers and protesters have hit a stalemate and media reported that on Thursday farm leaders refused to eat or drink anything offered by the government during negotiations.
