According to reports in the Canadian media, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been snubbed by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi while the former is on his first official visit to India.
When Mr Trudeau landed in New Delhi on Saturday with his wife and three children, a relatively junior minister received him. Whereas the Indian PM, who is known to afford a very warm welcome to heads of states, just last month broke protocol to personally receive Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu.
In contrast, Mr Modi hasn’t yet met his Canadian counterpart so far. He was absent during the visiting PM’s visit to Mr Modi’s home state, Gujarat on Monday, where he has accompanied other visiting heads of the states and Prime ministers, including Benjamin Netanyahu, Shinzo Abe and Xi Jinping.
"Yes, this is a major snub. The fact that a junior minister was sent to receive Mr Trudeau and his family is most definitely a snub," columnist and economist Vivek Dehejia told the .
Indian PM Narendra Modi with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Source: Facebook
Mr Trudeau was received only by district officials when he visited the Taj Mahal a day after his arrival in India. Though the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath also welcomed the Canadian PM, but the CM wasn’t there for Mr Trudeau.
Speculations are rife that Mr Trudeau is being deliberately cold-shouldered because of Canada’s alleged soft stance on Khalistan - a movement for a separate Sikh homeland in Punjab.
There are four Sikh ministers in Mr Trudeau’s cabinet.
"His Liberal party relies heavily on the Sikh-Canadian vote bank and some of the Sikh members of his government are fellow travellers with the Khalistanis," said Mr Dehejia.
The Chief Minister of Indian Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, who last year refused to meet Canada’s defence minister Harjit Sajjan during his official visit to India, earlier this month said in an interview that ministers in Mr Trudeau’s cabinet were supportive of Khalistan. The statement prompted Mr Sajjan and fellow cabinet minister Amarjit Sohi to declare they “neither sympathise nor espouse” the cause of Khalistan. Mr Trudeau confirmed on Monday he would meet Capt Amarinder Singh later this week after initial reports of him giving the Punjab CM as miss.
However, the Indian government has strongly rejected the speculations of the Indian PM 'snubbing' Mr Trudeau due to the concerns over Khalistan.
"The Prime Minister need not accompany a visiting dignitary everywhere", NDTV reported top government officials as saying. "He [Mr Modi] was not present even when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Hyderabad on Friday."
The Former Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Vishnu Prakash, said while India is concerned over the support for Khalistan movement in Canada, media reportage that Mr Trudeau was being cold-shouldered was misguided.
"The Sikhs are a dynamic, vibrant and chivalrous community, and courting them is fine. The difficulty lies with appearing at radical platforms. It provides them legitimacy and the oxygen of publicity," Mr Prakash to .
"The Khalistani separatists use such forums to whip-up anti-India sentiments and disaffection. India has been taking up this issue at all levels."
Mr Prakash said Mr Trudeau's welcome at the airport was according to the diplomatic protocol.
"That said, I completely disagree with the media construct that PM Trudeau is being cold-shouldered. He is an esteemed guest and both sides have invested a lot in this relationship. He is here at the PM’s invitation; every courtesy has been extended to him."
