Aakhir Tak – In Shorts: Sanjay Kumar Verma, the outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Canada, accused Justin Trudeau of ruining India-Canada relations. He stated that bilateral ties have been “spiraling down” since Trudeau’s allegations. Verma also noted that Canada has not provided India with any solid evidence.
Aakhir Tak – In Depth: Sanjay Kumar Verma, the outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Canada, has accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of deliberately ruining bilateral relations. In an interview with Canada’s CTV, Verma stated that Trudeau has ensured that ties with India “only go downwards” for political gains.
“He [Prime Minister Justin Trudeau] has made sure that the bilateral relation with India only goes downward, spiralling down,” said expelled Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, before going on to cast doubt on the political independence of the RCMP. pic.twitter.com/FbrZVk38uA
— CTV Question Period (@ctvqp) October 20, 2024
Canada recently named Verma a ‘person of interest’ in the investigation of Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder, prompting India to recall Verma and some other diplomats. Verma emphasized that Canada should have shared evidence first, but Trudeau decided to make an unsupported allegation in Parliament.
Verma remarked, “Since the day he did that, he has made sure that bilateral relations with India only go downwards.” He was referring to Trudeau’s September address in which he alleged that Indian government agents were involved in Nijjar’s killing.
Despite designating Verma as a ‘person of interest,’ Canada did not provide any solid evidence to India, something Trudeau admitted during the foreign interference inquiry on October 16. “When he accused, he himself admitted there was no hard evidence,” Verma stated.
Verma claimed that the evidence cited by Canada is merely hearsay. “I know for sure that they go from one person to another, asking about hearsay. Most of them are pro-Khalistan elements and anti-India elements,” he concluded.
