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Updated 07:47 IST, January 29th 2025

India Rejects Canadian Report on Election Meddling, Accuses Trudeau Govt of Interference in Internal Affairs

In response to a report from the Canadian Commission, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed the claims.

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PM Modi and Canadian counterpart Trudeau
India Accuses Canada of 'Consistently Interfering' in Internal Affairs | Image: Republic

New Delhi: India has rejected Canada’s allegations of election interference, instead accusing Ottawa of consistently meddling in its internal affairs.  

In response to a report from the Canadian Commission, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed the claims, stating that Canada has enabled illegal migration and organised criminal activities targeting India.  

New Delhi Accuses Ottawa

"We have seen a report about alleged activities on purported interference. It is in fact Canada which has been consistently interfering in India's internal affairs. This has also created an environment for illegal migration and organized criminal activities. We reject the report's insinuations on India and expect that the support system enabling illegal migration will not be further countenanced," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted a statement on X.

The Canadian report claimed that India was the second most active foreign country, after China, in interfering in Canada’s elections. "India is a critical actor on the world stage. Canada and India have worked together for decades, but there are challenges in the relationship. Many of these are long-standing and inform India's foreign interference activities," the report stated.

The 123-page document also referred to Canada’s expulsion of six Indian diplomats in October 2024, labeling them as "agents" of an alleged Indian government-linked campaign of violence. India had retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats the same day, calling Canada's actions "baseless targeting" of Indian officials.

The report also claimed that India spread disinformation regarding the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, however, the report contradicted itself by saying that Canada could not find a link to a foreign state on his killing.

"Disinformation is also used as a retaliatory tactic, to punish decisions that run contrary to a state's interests. This may have been the case with a disinformation campaign that followed the Prime Minister's announcement regarding suspected Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar (though again no definitive link to a foreign state could be proven)," the report said.

On November 20, India strongly refuted the reports in Canadian media regarding the killing of India-designated Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and said it should be dismissed with the "contempt they deserve."

The Ministry of External Affairs further emphasised that "smear campaigns" like this only "further damage our already strained ties."
Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed outside the Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.  

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Published 07:42 IST, January 29th 2025