NEW DELHI: India has dismissed Canada’s allegation of interference in the election process. “We have seen reports regarding inquiries into foreign interference and related developments. We strongly reject such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections. It is not the policy of the Indian government to interfere in the democratic processes of other countries,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
He added, “In fact, quite the opposite, Canada has been interfering in our internal affairs, and we have regularly raised this issue with them. We continue to call on Canada to take effective measures to address our core concerns.”
A few days ago, Canada’s Security Intelligence Service alleged that India had potentially interfered in the country’s election process. The report titled “Foreign Interference Threat” suggests that the Canadian government should do more to protect the country’s robust democratic institutions and processes.
According to Canadian media, this report also warns that India’s interference would worsen if left unchecked.
This is the first time India’s name has been implicated in such an allegation. Previously, Russia and China were accused of meddling in Canadian politics. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ordered an inquiry into the allegations made in this report.
Relations between India and Canada have been strained since last year, after PM Trudeau alleged in the Canadian Parliament that Indian agencies were involved in the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June in British Columbia. Following this, an Indian diplomat was expelled.
India dismissed these allegations as absurd and motivated.However, India retaliated by expelling a Canadian diplomat and requested a reduction in Canadian diplomatic staff to maintain parity with India. Nearly 40 Canadian diplomats eventually left.