New Delhi: After continuous provocations from Canada, India has now taken a tough stand. On Monday, India summoned Canadian diplomat Stewart Wheeler in New Delhi and lodged strong protest against the recent move of the Trudeau government.

It is noteworthy that the already cold relations between India and Canada became even worse after the Justin Trudeau government tried to involve the Indian High Commissioner in the investigation of the murder of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India warned of action

India reacted strongly to this on Monday, calling the allegations against its diplomat fabricated and also warned of action against it. India strongly rejected the allegations against High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, calling the allegations absurd and calling them part of the political agenda of the Trudeau government, which focuses on vote bank politics.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday, suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are stakeholders in a matter related to the investigations in that country. The ministry said India reserves the right to take strong measures in response to these attempts by the Canadian government to level allegations against Indian diplomats.

Trudeau had made serious allegations

The Ministry of External Affairs said, 'Since Prime Minister Trudeau made some allegations in September 2023, despite several requests from our side, the Government of Canada has not shared even a shred of evidence with the Government of India.' Significantly, in September last year, relations between India and Canada became strained after Prime Minister Trudeau made allegations of possible involvement of Indian agents in the murder of Nijjar.

Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia in June last year. New Delhi dismissed Trudeau's allegations as absurd. In its statement, the Ministry of External Affairs also referred to Prime Minister Trudeau's intervention in Indian internal politics in December 2020, apparently recalling the Canadian leader's comments during the farmers' movement.

'Strategy to defame India'

On Canada's latest allegations, the Foreign Ministry said, "There is no doubt that a deliberate strategy is being hatched to defame India for political gain under the pretext of investigation. Prime Minister Trudeau's hostility towards India has been seen for a long time. His visit to India in 2018, which was aimed at wooing the vote bank, made them uncomfortable."

The Ministry of External Affairs said, 'His cabinet consists of people who are openly associated with extremist and separatist agenda with respect to India. His open interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 shows how far he is willing to go in this regard. His government was dependent on a political party whose leaders openly support separatist ideology against India, which made the matter worse.'

The Foreign Ministry said, "His government, which is facing criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, has deliberately involved India in an effort to minimize the damage." It said that this latest incident targeting Indian diplomats is now the next step in the same direction.