Express News Service
NEW DELHI: India had reportedly kept an aircraft on standby for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s departure after his aircraft developed a technical snag. However, it is learnt that he didn’t consider the option and instead waited for his own aircraft to be fixed — before finally leaving for Canada on Tuesday.
“There was an aircraft kept on standby for PM Trudeau, after we learnt of the snag in his aircraft. This is done whenever senior leaders or dignitaries encounter such issues and it was the same this time too,” said a source.
Among those who came to attend the G20 Summit, Trudeau was the last leader to leave Delhi. During his meeting with PM Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, the latter expressed strong concern about anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada.
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Trudeau, on the other hand, during a presser in Delhi, had said that he would defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and peaceful protests – and prevent violence.
“PM Trudeau has prioritised vote bank politics at the cost of relations with India. The policies of his government are effectively glorifying Khalistani extremism which has implications for Indian security and territorial integrity. Simultaneously a section of Canadian youth is getting radicalised, creating a problem for India. Not just that, it has also impacted Canadian society as the youth are getting radicalised. The issue has been taken up repeatedly at all levels with the Trudeau government to no effect. His party functionaries continue to attend Khalistani rallies and reportedly receive funds from them. This cannot be overlooked,” India’s former Ambassador to Canada, Vishnu Prakash, told The New Indian Express.
Meanwhile, Trudeau is already facing a backlash in Canada over his diplomatic failure.
Canada’s leader of the opposition Pierre Poilievre posted a scathing remark on X saying, “Putting partisanship aside, no on likes to see a Canadian PM reportedly humiliated and trampled upon by the rest of the world.” Poilievre shared a picture of the Toronto Sun which wrote a cover story titled ‘This way out’, which says that Trudeau finds he has few friends at the G20 Summit in India.
