New Delhi: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended Toronto’s Vaisakhi nagar kirtan on Sunday, dedicated to Khalsa Panth foundation day, after a gap of seven years.
The event featured Khalistani flags in the presence of Trudeau has received sharp reactions from different sections on the social media. Trudeau had last been present at the Toronto Khalsa Day event in 2017.
PM Trudeau in a tweet wrote, “From Vancouver to Edmonton to Toronto, I have fond memories of attending Vaisakhi celebrations. Today, we were back in Toronto for this year’s Khalsa Day parade – celebrating with friends old and new. Happy Vaisakhi.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently raised the issue of Khalistan extremists with other countries asking them to take action against those supporting Khalistan after the incidents in the last few months. The Indian government also raised Khalistan issue with Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly during her hurricane trip to India in February this year.
Likewise, following the action of the Punjab and Indian governments against Amritpal Singh, Khalistani supporters had protested outside the Indian Embassy in the US, UK and Canada.
During this time, embassy staff were also attacked. After which the Indian government had asked the Canadian government to adopt a strict attitude, but despite this, Prime Minister Trudeau’s presence featuring Khalistan flags upset Indian authorities and anti-Khalistan groups.