India finds Justin Trudeau's comments on farmers' protests "unwarranted"

Indian MEA accused Trudeau of 'interfering' in India's internal affairs

NEW DELHI:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s remarks on the continuing farmers’ protests in India did not go down well with the Hindu nationalist government, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), that dubbed his comments as “unwarranted”, AlJazeera reported.

According to the report, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on Tuesday that, “We have seen some ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India. Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country.”

“It is also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes,” he added.

The Canadian premier's comments came as he addressed an online event held to mark the 551st birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak.

Commenting on the farmers' protest, Trudeau said that the news coming out of India was “concerning” and his country would “always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protest”.

India's capital, New Delhi, has been the centre of an almost week-long protest by thousands of farmers, demanding the Mode-led BJP government to do away with its controversial agriculture laws.

Modi’s govt has defended the laws and accused opposition parties of misleading the farmers, who have dubbed the bills “anti-farmer”.

Indian farmers fear that the minimum support price will be abolished gradually and they will be left at the mercy of private buyers.

Several politicians from Canada, the UK, Australia and the US have expressed solidarity with Indian farmers and criticised the Modi government.

On Tuesday, #Canada was trending on Twitter as Indians shared their views on social media in the wake of Trudeau’s comments.

“India’s internal issue is not fodder for another nation’s politics," said the spokesperson of the hardline Shiv Sena party.