Diplomatic Showdown: After PM Trudeau's 'Foreign Interference' Remarks, PM Modi Confronts Him Strongly On 'Anti-India Activities' In Canada

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his concerns about the continuous "anti-India activities" by extremist elements in Canada during his meeting with Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau.

He has emphasised the importance of cooperation between the two countries in dealing with these threats.

On the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, the two leaders held a bilateral meeting to discuss various issues.

PM Trudeau took the opportunity to congratulate PM Modi on the success of India's G20 Presidency.

During their meeting, PM Modi highlighted the strong foundation of India-Canada relations, which are based on shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law, and strong people-to-people ties, as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs.

The MEA in a statement stated, "He conveyed our strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada. They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship."

It further continued, "The nexus of such forces with organized crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats".

PM Modi also emphasised the significance of a relationship built on mutual respect and trust for the progress of India-Canada relations.

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau acknowledged his numerous conversations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding Khalistan extremism and "foreign interference."

PM Trudeau said, "Both the issues came up. Over the years, with PM Modi, we have had many conversations on both of those issues. Canada will always defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of peaceful protest and it is extremely important to us. At the same time, we are always there to prevent violence and to push back against hatred,"

He further continued, "I think on the issue of the community, it is important to remember that the actions of the few do not represent the entire community or Canada. The flip side of it, we also highlighted the importance of respecting the rule of law and we did talk about foreign interference."

Following their meeting at the G20 Summit, PM Modi tweeted about the comprehensive discussions on various sectors of India-Canada ties.

Prior to their discussion, world leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, visited Rajghat on Sunday morning to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in India on Friday to attend the G20 Summit.

Accompanied by his son Xavier, he was received by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Recently, Trudeau referred to India as a key partner in promoting shared values of democracy.

Trudeau highlighted that Canada is home to one of the largest Indian diasporas in the world, with nearly 1.4 million people of Indian origin residing in the country.