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India-Canada standoff: Since the diplomatic row between India and Canada erupted on Tuesday, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) measured its response even as other parties such as the BJP and the Congress threw their weight behind the government of India and criticised Canadian PM Justin Trudeau for alleging India’s involvement in the murder of a Khalistani separatist in British Columbia in June.
In the most strongly worded statement yet, SAD president and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday urged all political parties and leaders to “close ranks and give a united call against vicious propaganda to vilify and demonise Sikhs and other Punjabis”. In a post on X, the office of Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “We must jointly condemn the vicious attempts of some anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh forces to paint our youth as anti-national and terrorist. Punjabis especially Sikhs have made unparalleled sacrifices, symbolised by Babbar Akalis, Gadari Babas, Kala Paani (Andaman & Nicobar islands) and Komagata Maru movements and by heroic martyrs like Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, Lala Lajpat Rai.”
He added, “Political parties must jointly urge media houses to stop anti-Sikh vilification.
We appeal to all our countrymen not to be misled by the anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh propaganda. Our constitution declares India to be a Union of States, with ‘unity in diversity’ as its foundational principle. Let’s respect that.”
Akali spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said Trudeau should have raised the issue at a diplomatic level with India instead of raising it in Parliament without any concrete evidence. “Raising such an issue in the Canadian parliament without presenting any concrete evidence is tantamount to tarnishing the image of a friendly nation. Raising such an issue without any concrete evidence puts a question mark on the reputation of other countries,” he said.
On Thursday, hours after the Ministry of External Affairs announced that it was suspending visa services for Canadians, Badal met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He appealed to him to take necessary steps to ensure “a quick resolution” of the dispute with Canada, saying “Punjabis were in a state of panic due to deteriorating relations between the two countries”. The Akali chief said he had made a similar appeal to the Canadian government.
The Sikh community has been the core constituency of the Akali Dal but over the past two elections — in 2017 and 2022 — it has drifted away, pushing the over hundred-year-old party to the fringes of Punjab politics. The party at present has only three Assembly seats, its lowest ever, and its vote share has also dropped from 25.2% in 2017 to around 18.38% at present.
Even as the BJP and the Congress made strong statements condemning Trudeau for making allegations, labelling the Canadian PM as “highly irresponsible”, the Akali Dal initially said the allegations were a “cause of serious concern” that must be “taken seriously” and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should “present all the facts before the nation”. In an official statement on Tuesday, it said, “The recent statement of the Canadian Prime Minister is a cause of serious concern. The Shiromani Akali Dal urges both the governments of Canada and India to settle the matter not with a confrontationist but with a statesman-like approach.”
Cheema was also quoted as saying, “We are the largest democracy and such accusation against us is a very serious thing. Our PM should present facts before the nation. A large number of Indians have settled in Canada for a long time and have business and other ties back home. Hope PM will present all the facts before the nation.”
This led Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira to hit out at the Akalis and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday morning. He posted on X, “I’m appalled at the cunning & stoic silence of @BhagwantMann and @officeofssbadal over the sensational allegations of @JustinTrudeau Pm Canada and his standoff with Indian Government affecting the future of 8 Lac Punjabis living in Canada apart from the vilification campaign launched against Sikhs of Punjab by hate mongers. Normally @BhagwantMann has been daily tweeting about frivolous issues but hasn’t uttered a word being the torch bearer of 3 Cr Punjabis?”
In response, the Akali Dal said, “Dear @SukhpalKhaira pls open your eyes and read these news items attached below. It seems you tweet for the sake of tweeting only without being aware of the ground situation. Shiromani Akali Dal president S #SukhbirSinghBadal has not only expressed concern over the current impasse between India and Canada, but also met Union Home Minister Mr Amit Shah and urged him to ensure the matter is settled at the earliest keeping in view the interests of the Punjabi diaspora.”
Khaira’s party colleague and former Punjab Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said the Akali Dal was attempting to “polarise Sikh votes by not speaking against Trudeau’s remarks”. Punjab BJP core committee member Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi said that Akalis had to “clear their stand”.
AAP spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang said, “This is not a state-level issue. The Prime Ministers of both the countries should resolve the issue as soon as possible since a large number of people living in these two countries, especially hailing from Punjab, have very deep relations with each other.”
