S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, lashed out at Canada on Thursday after images of a parade float depicting the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Canada’s Brampton city surfaced on Wednesday.
Jaishankar condemned Canada’s apparent tolerance of pro-Khalistan elements, saying it is “not good for Canada and its relationship with India.”
Jaishankar revealed to the media “Frankly, we are at a loss to understand other than the requirements of vote bank politics why anybody would do this…I think there is a larger underlying issue about the space which is given to separatists, to extremists, to people who advocate violence.”
Jaishankar’s venomous retort came in response to a purported video circulating on social media depicting Indira Gandhi and her assassins, who were members of her security detail.
The parade also carried a sign that read, “Revenge for Attack on Shri Darbar Sahib,” referring to the 1984 storming of the Golden Temple by Indian troops.
According to reports, the parade was organized on June 4 by Khalistani supporters, just days before the 39th anniversary of ‘Operation Blue Star’ on 6 June.
Earlier that day, India’s High Commission in Ottawa sent a formal note to Global Affairs Canada (GAC) expressing its displeasure with the incident.
