This refers to the editorial, “Oh Canada!” (February 21). Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in India to enhance business and strategic ties between the two countries. But what was missing was the red carpet and the Indian dignitaries offering the customary welcome to the visiting head of the Government. It is highly unusual for an Indian Prime Minister to give a virtual cold shoulder to his visiting Canadian counterpart. For a leader extremely partial to photogenic teleshoots with visiting dignitaries, Narendra Modi has been oddly reticent right from the time Trudeau’s unusually long visit kicked off. In ideal circumstances, Canada, with its reserves of natural resources and vast empty spaces, should have been royally serenaded. But the standard welcoming Prime Ministerial tweet was missing and, as if to reinforce the message, the reception party for Trudeau was decidedly low-key. Even the obligatory trip to the Taj Mahal looked more of a family affair.
This coldness is because Trudeau's liberal Party has offered much room and leeway to the Sikh-Canadians, who in the past have funded the separatist movement in Punjab. Even now, when there is normalcy in the State, it incites trouble. Worse, Trudeau has given plum posts to these self-avowedly pro-Khalistani elements.The Canadian Prime Minister needs to acknowledge India's concerns in order to take bilateral relations forward and build on the tremendous potential that exists in so many fields, ranging from nuclear energy to people-to-people contacts.