External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday slammed Canada for continually issuing visas to people with connection to organised crimes for political purposes and cautioned there will be pushback against what is happening "out there." Newton's law of politics will apply there also, he said.
Terming them as gangland visas, he also said the country had been giving legitimacy to "extremism, separatism and advocates of violence" in the name of free speech. These terse remarks came a day after Canada claimed to have arrested three Indian nationals allegedly involved in Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder.
Jaishankar said Justin Trudeau's country thinks there would not be any reaction to its antics of fostering criminals.
"In some countries, these kinds of people have organised themselves politically and become a political lobby and in some of these democratic countries, the politicians of these countries are made to believe that if they defer to these people or pander to these people, these people have some ability to get a community to support them. So, they have tried to create space for themselves in the politics of these countries. I mean, at this time, it's not so much a problem in the US," he said.
Jaishankar called Canada India's "biggest problem" in this regard. "Our biggest problem right now is in Canada. Because in Canada, actually, today the party in power in Canada, and other parties here have given these kinds of extremism, separatism, and advocates of violence a certain legitimacy in the name of free speech”. he said
See, when you tell them something, their answer is no we are a democratic country but it is free speech," he said.
The External Affairs Minister said there will be pushback against what is happening "out there". He said "Newton's law of politics" will apply.
"The point that they need to understand, it is no longer a world that runs as a one-way street. If there are things that happen out there, there will be pushback. Newton's law of politics will apply there also. There will be a reaction. Others will take steps or counter it," Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar also slammed Canada for giving visas to "gangland people" with links to organised crimes in Punjab. "…The fact is that a number of gangland people, a number of people with organised crime links from Punjab, have been made welcome in Canada. We have been telling Canada - look these are wanted criminals from India, you have given them visas," he said.
The Minister pointed out that many of these people go to Canada on false documentation but are allowed to stay. He accused the country of importing dubious people for political purposes.
"If you decide to import for political purposes people with very dubious, actually, very negative backgrounds, there will be issues, they have in some cases created problems in their own country as a result of their own policies. No, why would we fear, if something happens there, it is for them to worry about," he added.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist, was killed by gunmen in Canada's Surrey in June last year. Canada accused the Indian government of being involved in the murder. New Delhi called the allegations absurd.
Canadian authorities have arrested three Indian nationals -- Karanpreet Singh, 28, Kamalpreet Singh, 22 and Karan Brar, 22 -- for allegedly killing Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
