India says Canada PM's remarks unwarranted

India has strongly condemned the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau statement about the protest by Indian farmers.MEA on Tuesday dismissed his remarks as “unwarranted” as they pertained to the country’s internal affairs. The comments weren’t seen favourably in New Delhi, especially at a time when both India and Canada have been taking steps to restore normalcy to bilateral ties that were hit by Trudeau’s perceived softness on pro-Khalistan activists in Canada during his first term.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the remarks while participating in a Facebook video interaction organised by Canadian MP Bardish Chagger to mark Guruparb or the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion. The event was joined by Canadian ministers Navdeep Bains and Harjit Sajjan and members of the Sikh community. In his opening remarks during the interaction, Trudeau said: “I would be remiss if I didn’t start also by recognising the news coming out of India about the protest by farmers. The situation is concerning and we’re all very worried about family and friends.

External Affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in a brief statement: “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.”Srivastava added, “It is also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes.”