In a first, the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau has come out to acknowledge the presence of Khalistanis in Canada, saying they do not represent the Sikh community. Trudeau made the remarks on Monday, at an event held to celebrate the festivals of Diwali and Bandi Chhor Diwas.
A video of Trudeau’s remarks to a gathering was shared with the Hindustan Times by an attendee. As per HT, Trudeau said, “There are many supporters of Khalistan in Canada but they do not represent the Sikh community as a whole. There is no room for violence or intolerance or intimidation or division. That is not who we are.”
The Diwali event was organised by Cabinet Ministers Anita Anand and Gary Anandasangaree. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was addressing an Indian origin diaspora. At the event the Liberal Party leader also called on the different communities to discard divisions. “We encourage people to hold on to their cultures and their communities. The challenge is that in holding all those different opinions, we must never let them divide us.” he said.
Trudeau also did not let the opportunity go to attack the Indian government, using the religious meet as a stage for his political motives. “There are many supporters of the (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi Government in Canada but they do not represent all Hindu Canadians as a whole.” he said.
Reacting to Trudeau’s remarks drawing a line between Sikhs and Khalistanis, former British Columbia Premier and Liberal Part Leader, Ujjal Dosanjh said, “In my memory of him, this is the first time he is acknowledging the Sikh community as separate from Khalistanis.”
Dosanjh also hoped that Trudeau would continue to “put some distance between himself and the Khalistanis.” Criticizing the Canadian mainstream media for calling Canadian Sikhs as Khalistanis and describing the latter as ‘activists’. Dosanjh said, “They are doing a huge disservice to Canada and to the Sikhs, when they portray a handful of Khalistanis as representing them. That’s absolutely false.”
The comments come after the shocking attacks on the Hindu temple at Brampton, where Khalistani gangs unleashed violence on the Hindu community. The Canadian police instead of arresting the culprits went out of their way to punish the Hindu youth instead, arresting a number of them. The Hindu community has been left in anguish by the violence unleashed at a religious place. Justin Trudeau has long been known to have friendly connections with Khalistani figures. Trudeau is courting Khalistani radicals to cultivate his vote bank and fulfil his political ambitions, at the steep cost of the Indo-Canadian international relations.