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India rejects Canada’s election interference charge

Canadian Prime Minister previously asserted India's involvement in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar

This incident marks the latest development in a series of allegations and counter-allegations that surfaced last year / Image - PIB

In a strongly worded statement, India has dismissed allegations of election interference in Canada, emphasizing that it is Ottawa that has been "interfering in our internal affairs."

In a recently declassified intelligence report, Canada identified India as a "foreign threat" with the potential to interfere in their elections. The  October 2022 report, titled "Foreign Interference and Elections: A National Security Assessment,"  cautioned that foreign interference was undermining the integrity of Canada's democracy.

Canada has also leveled similar accusations against China and Russia, with Beijing being labeled as "by far the most significant threat."

"We have seen media reports about a Canadian commission inquiring into foreign interference... We strongly reject such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections. It is not India's policy to interfere in the democratic process of other countries," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.

"In fact, it's quite the reverse. It is Canada that has been interfering in our internal affairs. We have been raising this issue regularly with them. We continue to call on Canada to take effective measures to address our core concerns," Jaiswal added.

This marks the latest development in a series of allegations and counter-allegations that surfaced between the two countries last year. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously asserted India's involvement in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, an accusation that India vehemently denied.

Tensions escalated between India and Canada following a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi last year, during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized Justin Trudeau over increasing secessionist activities in Canada.

Subsequently, Trudeau made a provocative accusation, suggesting that "Indian government agents" might have been involved in the shooting of the terrorist Nijjar, who was a Canadian citizen.

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