With the Indian Canadian ties taking a massive hit, the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP), Jagmeet Singh, has waded into the controversy as well. Singh gave a press conference calling for the government to impose economic sanctions on India and imposing a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Canada.

Jagmeet Singh is one of the most prominent politicians in Canada, he is the leader of the NDP and in the past has been an ally of Justin Trudeau. Over the past few days the diplomatic ties between India and Canada have been deteriorating rapidly, Trudeau has accused the Indian Government of not just conducting assassinations in Canada but also meddling in Canadian politics. The allegations have been refuted by India as “absurd” and “politically motivated”.

Who is Jagmeet Singh

A son of immigrants, Jagmeet Singh was born on January 2, 1979, in Scarborough, Ontario. He is the leader of Canada’s leftist New Democratic Party (NDP) and the first person of a minority to head a major Canadian federal political party.

His parents immigrated to Canada from Punjab, India, seeking better opportunities. Singh, is a lawyer and human rights activist. Singh entered public office in 2011 as a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Ontario, serving until 2017, and became the first turban-wearing Sikh in Ontario’s legislature.

Jagmeet Singh, who has long been associated with the Khalistan movement, is now busy demanding action from the Canadian government against India, following allegations that Indian officials were involved in the assassination of Khalistani radical Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Khalistani Connection

In 2013, India denied visa to Jagmeet Singh. He was seeking a visa to visit Amritsar. Sources told The Globe and Mail that this was because of Singh’s remarks about the Sikh riots of 1984. He asked that the word “genocide” be used.

He was accused by the then Indian government of an “insidious agenda of disturbing the social fabric of India to undermine the peace, harmony and territorial integrity of India”. The NDP leader attended a pro-sovereignty seminar in 2016 with the co-founder of the British-based National Sikh Youth Federation, who made clear demands for a “separate land for Sikhs”.

This was the second time Singh was part of such an event. In 2015, he attended a Khalistani rally where participants chanted “Khalistan, Khalistan”, reported Canadian broadcaster CBC. This rally featured large posters of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Khalistani who was behind the siege of the Golden Temple in 1984.

In the 2015 event, Singh delivered a speech accusing India of attacks on Sikhs in 1984. In 2017, Jagmeet Singh was responsible for passing a motion which acknowledged the 1984 Sikh riots in India as a “genocide”. Two years later, when Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated, Jagmeet Singh continued to blame the Indian government for human rights violations.

Jagmeet Singh’s position on India is not new. Apart from his connections with Khalistani extremists Jagmeet has also failed to condemn individuals like Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind behind the 1985 Air India bombing that killed 329 people.

Jagmeet mocked for his stance

Jagmeet has now tried to use this opportunity to grow his base amongst the Khalistani radicals. His attack on India and the RSS will serve as such. In a press conference held in Ottawa on Tuesday, Jagmeet Singh requested an emergency meeting with the Public Security Committee to better understand if there are other steps they can take. “We demand that the Liberal government implement severe sanctions on Indian diplomats and banish the RSS, a violent, militant, terrorist organization from India, which is a group that operates here in Canada and in other countries as well,” Singh said.

When reporters pointed out that imposing sanctions on India could have a devastating impact on Canada’s economy, Jagmeet Singh emphasised Canada’s focus would be on targeting Indian diplomats specifically. The reporter intervened, emphasizing the need for a more strategic “policy” approach.

As Jagmeet Singh was making his statements, journalists started posing questions to challenge his claims. Singh, unprepared for the pushback, ended the press conference on an embarrassing note and abruptly walked out of the room. As he was leaving the room, one of the reporters appeared to mock the politician’s remarks, saying, “That’s not how it works”, drawing laughter from her colleagues. As Singh exited, reporters could be heard saying, “He’s gone… he’s gone,” which was met with collective laughter.

The ongoing India-Canada diplomatic row took an ugly turn on Monday when New Delhi and Ottawa clashed over Justin Trudeau’s charge that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ linked to an investigation into the murder of Khalistani Nijjar. India dismissed the charges as absurd and preposterous imputations while downgrading its ties with Canada. In a tit for tat both countries even recalled their diplomats. Now Jagmeet Singh has joined Trudeau in the wild statement race. Both of them are supporters of extremists and radicals, and now the duo are busy making a mockery of themselves and their country.