Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, said on Monday that his country will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protests, referring to the farmers’ agitation along the borders of Delhi against the agri-marketing laws. In a video message, he reached out to the Indian community and expressed concern regarding the issue, voicing out his opinion.
Addressing the Indian community in Canada during an online event to mark the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, Trudeau said it would be negligence on his part if he did not recognise the "news coming out of India about the protest by farmers."
We welcome the support of @JustinTrudeau Pm Canada for the farmers agitation and urge Bjp govt to accept the legitimate demands of farmers who have contributed to the inclusive development of India and are themselves under a colossal debt leading to widespread suicides-khaira pic.twitter.com/T7WqMvWx51
— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) December 1, 2020
Thousands of farmers stayed put at various Delhi border points for the sixth consecutive day on Tuesday protesting against the new agriculture laws, which they fear will dismantle the minimum support price system and corporatise farming.
Farmers indicated that they would be taking part in Tuesday's talks proposed by the government amid reports that defence minister Rajnath Singh would be leading discussions in the presence of Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
"The situation is concerning and we are all very worried about family and friends and I know that is a reality for many of you," Trudeau said in the video posted on his Twitter account,” Trudeau said.
"Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest. We believe in the importance of dialogue and that is why we have reached out through multiple means directly to Indian authorities to highlight our concerns," he said.
He added that this was a moment for all to pull together because of COVID and because of everything else as well.
"We are going to be there to continue to work together as we are there to help each other," he said.
Canada is home to a huge number of Indians, mostly Punjabis.
India reacts to Trudeau's comments, calls it 'ill-informed'
India strongly reacted to comments by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other leaders there regarding farmers' protest, calling the remarks as "ill-informed" and "unwarranted" as the matter pertains to the internal affairs of a democratic country.
"We have seen some ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India. Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.
In a terse message, the ministry further added that "it is also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes."
The Aam Aadmi Party criticised the Canadian PM for his comments as well.
“While we urge the BJP government to immediately resolve and accede to farmers' demands, this remains an internal matter of India. AAP believes interference or commentary from elected heads of other countries are unsolicited and unwelcome. India is capable of handling its own domestic matters," party spokesperson Raghav Chadha tweeted.