India-Canada diplomatic spat gets fuelled further with the naming of Amit Shah

India's newly appointed Home Minister Amit Shah greets the media upon his arrival at the home ministry in New Delhi, India, June 1, 2019. REUTERS/Altaf Hussain/File Photo / Reuters

The ongoing India-Canada diplomatic spat was escalated further as the Public Safety Committee of the Canadian House of Commons was told that the Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was behind the plots to target Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. The cancellation of the traditional Diwali celebration organised inside the House of Commons by Conservatives has also caused widespread resentment among members of the Indo-Canadian community.

Though the Indian government has dismissed Canada’s accusations as baseless and denied involvement, the soiled relations between the two once-friendly nations continue to be a regular topic during the House of Commons sittings.

Allegations and counter-allegations have been flying high ever since the diplomatic fallout between the two nations over the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

It was the Washington Post that quoted the  Canadian officials alleging that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was behind a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists in Canada. This information, the newspaper had maintained, was shared by members of the Canadian delegation, that held a secret meeting with the top Indian security officials, including the National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, in Singapore.

Canadian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison, a member of that delegation, has now reiterated his statement made to the Washington Post, before a Canadian parliamentary panel on public safety that Amit Shah was behind the plots. 

“The journalist called me and asked if it (Shah) was that person. I confirmed it was that person,” Morrison told the committee, without providing further details or evidence.

Early this month, while Canada claimed that it expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to the 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil, India held that it had already withdrawn those diplomats. In a tit-for-tat reaction,  India also ordered the expulsion of Canadian diplomats as the diplomatic war got intense.

The Canadian House of Commons on a demand made by the leader of NDP Jagmeet Singh and the ruling party MP, George Chahal, had an animated debate on the foreign interference by India for several hours and ended after midnight where members of both Liberal and NDP mounted scathing attacks on the leader of opposition, Pierre Poilievre, for refusing to take the security clearance.

Almost after a week of the debate, Liberal MPs, continue to raise the issue of Pierre Poilievre for not taking the security clearance. They maintain that leaders of all other parties have either taken or asked for the security clearance to become privy to confidential briefings by the security agencies.

Another related issue that has been hawking media headlines is the alleged cancellation of the Diwali celebrations function inside the House of Commons organised regularly by the main Opposition Party, the Conservatives. 

The ruling Liberals, however,  are expected go ahead with the Diwali event inside the House of Commons.

This practice of celebrating Diwali inside the House of Commons was started 23 years ago by Deepak Ubhrai, the first Hindu of Indian origin elected to the House of Commons. He was also one of the longest-serving Indo-Canadians in the House of Commons. After his death, the practice of holding the Diwali function in the House of Commons continued till the sitting leader of the Opposition, Pierre Poilievre, decided not to be part of it this year.

In 1993, when Gurbax Singh Malhi, Herb Dhaliwal, and Jag Bhaduria earned the distinction of becoming Indo-Canadians to sit in the House of Commons, Indo-Canadians came into prominence in federal politics. Gurbax Singh Malhi was credited for holding the first-ever Vaisakhi celebration inside the House of Commons. In 1999, when the tercentenary of the birth of Khalsa was being celebrated, Canada issued a postal stamp to commemorate the occasion. It was also the first time to see sacred Sri Guru Granth Sahib inside the House of Commons for a religious ceremony.

At a similar ceremony years later, Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, offered a public apology for the Kama Gata Maru episode in the presence of eminent members of the Sikh Diaspora specially invited to the House of Commons.

After Vaisakhi celebrations became a regular feature in the House of Commons, Deepak Ubhrai, introduced the concept of holding Diwali celebrations inside the House of Commons at the beginning of 2000. Every year, the leader and members of the caucus of the Conservative Party, play host to the Indo-Canadian community inside the House.

The cancellation of the event this year annoyed members of the Overseas Friends of India Canada(OFIC). Shiv Bhasker, President of the OFIC, in a letter to Pierre Poilievre, sought an apology for hurting the sentiments of the Indo-Canadian community by breaking the 23-year-old tradition.

Shiv Bhasker in his letter addressed to the Leader of Opposition, Pierre Poilievre, said: “I am writing this letter to you to voice our dismay at the Office of the Leader of Opposition cancelling the 24th Diwali celebration on  Parliament Hill. For the past 23 years, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs have looked forward to participating in this joyous occasion to share and celebrate this joyous day with all our Canadian brothers and sisters. It had become an iconic event for all of us and it was cancelled without giving any explanation whatsoever.

“This event was meant to be a joyous occasion to honour Diwali, a festival that is not only deeply significant to the Indo-Canadian community but also emblematic of the multicultural spirit that Canada prides itself on. However, the sudden withdrawal of political leaders from this event, prompted by the current diplomatic situation between Canada and India, has left us feeling betrayed and unjustly singled out. These developments, while deeply concerning, should never have resulted in the unfair treatment of Canadians of Indian descent, who have no connection to the actions or decisions of a foreign government. 

“This is unacceptable. We are proud Canadians, and our identity is rooted in this country, not in the political machinations of another nation. The Indo-Canadian community has long contributed to the fabric of Canadian society. We are business owners, professionals, academics, artists, and community leaders. We are your neighbours, your colleagues, and your friends. We are deeply invested in the success and prosperity of this country, and we take immense pride in being part of Canada’s multicultural mosaic.

“We demand an apology for this insensitive and discriminatory act. More than just words, we expect a clear and actionable course of action to be laid out to address the systemic racism and bias that led to this decision. It is not enough to offer empty platitudes or generalized statements of support—we need to see real change. We need to see a commitment to ensuring that no community in Canada is ever made to feel like second-class citizens because of their cultural or ethnic background.

“Furthermore, we ask the Office of the Leader of Opposition to acknowledge the harm caused to the Indo-Canadian community by this action. This cancelled event was not just a political gathering; it was meant to celebrate Diwali, a festival that brings together families, friends, and communities in a spirit of light, hope, and renewal. By distancing oneself from this celebration, our political leader has turned what should have been a moment of unity into one of division.

“This letter represents the collective voice of the Indo-Canadian community, especially the Hindu Canadians of 850 000 strong, a community that is educated, prosperous, law-abiding, and family-oriented. We take immense pride in our Canadian identity, and we refuse to let the actions of a foreign government dictate how we are perceived and treated in this country,” Shiv Bhasker said.