New Delhi, Nov 7 (UNI) India on Thursday called out the “hypocrisy” of the Justin Trudeau government in Canada for blocking the social media handles of an Australian news website after it carried a report on the press conference of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with Australian FM Penny Wong as well as articles on his Canberra visit.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, answering queries on the issue at his weekly media briefing, said that Canada had blocked the social media handles of Australia Today, a prominent Indian diaspora platform.
“We understand the social media handles have been blocked and are not available for users in Canada, after it carried the press conference of EAM with Penny Wong, and it had several articles on the visit of EAM…”
“These are actions that highlight the hypocrisy of Canada towards freedom of speech,” he said.
Notably, the Justin Trudeau government has been giving free rein to the separatist Khalistani elements in his country citing the pretext of freedom of speech and expression. The Trudeau government is in alliance with NDP of Jagmeet Singh, a known Khalistani.
He cited EAM as saying that Canada has been levelling allegations against India without providing any evidence, and a pattern has developed
He also cited the EAM as saying that Canada has mounted surveillance on Indian diplomats and termed it as unacceptable. The EAM also spoke about the space given to anti-India elements by the Trudeau government.
The Australia Today social media handles were blocked in Canada right after this press conference.
Asked if Canada had provided security to the Indian consular officials, the spokesperson said: “We had asked for security to be provided to our diplomats where consular camps are to be held, and those have not been provided by the Canadian side.”
He said that over the past one year there has been an increase in the threats against Indian diplomats and surveillance on them in Canada. “We have taken up the matter with the Canadian side very strongly,” he added.
EAM, speaking in Canberra on November 5, said that videos of the violence perpetrated by Khalistanis inside the premises of the Hindu Sabha temple grounds in Brampton, Ontario, “would tell you of the political space today which is being given to extremist forces there”.
After Penny Wong said that Australia believes in the right to peaceful protest, EAM said that India believes in freedoms, “but we also believe that freedom should not be misused”.
Asked for his reaction to the Brampton incident, the EAM had said that the MEA spokesperson has released a statement and PM Modi had also expressed his concern.
“What happened at the Hindu temple was deeply concerning; you would have seen the statement by the official spokesperson and the expression of concern by our PM yesterday. That should convey to you how deeply we feel about it.”
