The Narendra Modi government is closely monitoring the rise of Sikh radicalisation, attacks and vandalism of Hindu religious symbols in the United Kingdom and Canada, and is weighing various options for sending a terse message to the two Commonwealth members.
While India has strongly condemned the violence against the Indian community in Leicester and has protested to UK authorities, it is also observing how British security agencies are turning a blind eye to fund collection by Sikh radicals in order to fuel the separatist movement.
The Modi government has decided not to take anything lying down and will respond in kind to the two countries’ anti-India developments. The events in the United Kingdom are exacerbating India’s resentment of London for attempting to carve out a non-existent global role for itself in the Af-Pak region and the Indo-Pacific.
According to reports, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who is in good health despite mischievously planted social media reports, have taken strong notice of the events in the UK and Canada, and the Indian response will be proportionate to the aggravation.
While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has strongly condemned Russia’s planned “referendums” in Ukraine’s occupied regions, he has largely ignored the September 19 referendum organised by the proscribed “Sikhs for Justice” organisation in Brampton, Ontario. The Narendra Modi government requested that the illegal referendum be stopped in three diplomatic messages to Global Affairs Canada: OTT/POL/453/1/2022, August 31, 2022, OTT/POL/103/01/2022, September 14, and OTT/Pol/453/01/2022.
However, on September 16, the Trudeau government responded to Modi’s government by saying that Canada respects India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and does not recognise this so-called referendum. PM Trudeau did not condemn the referendum organised by radicalised Sikhs, as he did in Ukraine, where he issued a terse response via Twitter.
In its response to the world’s largest democracy, the Trudeau government added that people in Canada have the right to assemble and express their views as long as they do so peacefully and legally.
The Canadian response also stated that they were disturbed by the recent vandalism at the Swaminarayan Mandir in Brampton, Ontario, and that all relevant information had been shared with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for assessment and review.
The entire Sikh radical movement is funded in these two countries, with Canada serving as a hub for Punjabi gangsters. India has made it abundantly clear to the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States that failure to take action against anti-India Sikh radicals constitutes complicity.
