Even as Khalistani extremist leaders are repeatedly issuing open threats to Hindus in Canada and vandalizing Bharatiya consulates in Canada and Hindu temples, the Canadian government seems more concerned about the alleged foreign interference of Bharat in Canada’s elections that putting a curb to anti-Bharat activities emanating from their land.
Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who is the leader of the banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs for Justice recently called upon protesting farmers of Bharat to “use a bullet for a bullet”. He reportedly instigated farmers to take up bullets against the state in a video shared on social media and claimed that weapons were readily available at Kartarpur Sahib, Pakistan, and across the international border with Rajasthan. Even Pakistan got embarrassed by Pannun’s inflammatory comments as the authorities were quick to dismiss his claims as “a bunch of lies aimed at defaming Pakistan”.
Barely a week back, Pannun had instigated Khalistani elements to infiltrate the farmers’ protests and kill “Modi’s politics” in another video that had gone viral on social media. Anti-Hindu hate sloganeering and threats to Hindus to either leave the country or face consequences are becoming a routine occurrence in Canada. The Canadian Organization for Hindu Heritage Education (COHHE) recently shared a video through its X handle. In the video, a Khalistani extremist can be seen using Hinduphobic slurs outside the Bharatiya consulate in Vancouver. The man is speaking in Punjabi in the clip, but as per the English translation, he is saying, “Upcoming time is ours not Cow urine drinkers and dung worshippers”. The man can also be seen issuing threats to demolish the consulate and replace it with “Khalistan embassy”.
Amidst the alarming rise of Hinduphobia and anti-Bharat activities in Canada, not a single word of condemnation has come from the Canadian government. Instead, they seem to be giving further patronage and encouragement to such extremist anti-Bharat Khalistani groups operating from Canada, the US, and other western countries.
Sikh community groups have sought standing in the public inquiry into foreign interference currently in progress in Canada, as per various media reports. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service alleged that Bharat had potentially interfered in the country’s election. The agency made the sensational claim in a recent report that the government of Bharat categorically denied. Canada had earlier accused Russia and China of interfering in its internal elections. Now, Bharat has been added to this list.
In September 2023, the government of Canada set up a Public Inquiry into alleged foreign interference in Canadian elections. Initially, the Foreign Interference Commission was supposed to conduct an inquiry into the alleged election interference by China and Russia. But it recently added Bharat to the list as it requested “that the government of Canada’s collection and production of document relating to paragraphs clause (a) (i0 (A) and (a) (i) (B) of its Terms of Reference include information and documents relating to alleged interference by India related to the 2019 and 2021 elections”.
As the Commission commences its inquiry, Sikh organizations claiming to represent diaspora groups have asked for a standing in the inquiry. The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO), Ontario Gurdwaras Committee (OGC), and British Columbia Gurdwaras Council (BCGC) have jointly applied for standing in the public inquiry in a letter addressed to Justice Marie-Josee Hogue, who is leading the inquiry, as per various media reports.
The World Sikh Organization of Canada, if one goes by their website, doesn’t seem to have Khalistani affiliations as such, but they constantly accuse the Bharatiya government of defaming the Sikh community of Canada. In the “Resources” section of their website, there is a report titled “India’s Disinformation Campaign Against Canada’s Sikhs”. The report accuses the Bharatiya government of running a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at maligning the Sikh community in Canada and reviving a narrative of “Sikh extremism”. The report accuses the Modi government of interfering in Canada’s internal politics through a state-controlled network of media, think, tanks, and NGOs. The report also repeatedly emphasizes that the “Sangh Parivar “, the parent organization of BJP has a history of oppressing minorities.
In yet another report, the World Sikh Organization of Canada targets the RSS. The report titled “RSS Network in Canada” insinuates that the existence of RSS in Canada is a threat to the pluralism and diversity of the nation, the standard woke rhetoric against the RSS and the Sangh Parivar.
Overall, the World Sikh Organization of Canada, even though it doesn’t seem to have any Khalistani affiliation as such, comes across as an anti-Bharat and anti-Hindu outfit. The website of the second organization that has applied for a Standing in the Public Inquiry against alleged foreign interference in Canadian elections, the Ontario Gurdwaras Committee lists a public report titled “Indian Foreign Interference in Canada” that it claims to have released jointly with the third organization that has asked for a standing in the public inquiry, the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council, that is. “While there has been particular attention paid to China and Russia in the context of foreign interference, it is imperative that Canada pay even closer attention to supposed allies like India, who actively seek to manipulate public discourse and policy in Canada to secure their own policy objectives”, says the report.
The British Columbia Gurdwaras Council is known for its aggressive anti-Bharat posturing. The organization also seems to support the allegations that Bharat was behind the assassination of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The point is all these Sikh organizations that have reportedly applied for a standing in the Enquiry Committee against alleged foreign interference by Bharat in Canadian elections seem biased at the outset. The most important prerequisite of any inquiry committee is neutrality and lack of bias. If organizations and interest groups with a history of peddling anti-Bharat propaganda and venting out prejudiced rants against the country are given a standing in an inquiry committee, what will be the fate of that inquiry? It is anybody’s guess.
Yet another rabid anti-Hindu and anti-Bharat propaganda group called Justice for all Canada seems to have applied for standing in the Inquiry Committee of the Canadian Foreign Interference Commission. The name of this organization is missing from the media reports that talk about various other Sikh diaspora groups applying for the standing. But the website of the Canadian Foreign Interference Commission has a section where one can download information regarding all organizations who applied for standing in the Inquiry Committee and whose application has been approved. Going by the document, it seems that the Justice for All Canada has been approved to have a standing in the inquiry committee against alleged foreign interference in Canadian elections by Bharat and others.
The 71-page document mentions the name of the “Justice for All Canada’ under the section of Diaspora groups. It says that “Justice for All Canada (JFAC) applies for standing in the policy phase of the inquiry”. The document then briefly describes the organization and then says, “I would grant JFAC standing in the policy phase of the Commission. I accept that it has a substantial and direct interest in the subject matter of the Inquiry and would provide a necessary contribution. In this respect, I note that there are no other Applicants that represent the Indian Canadian community. While JFAC is not an Indian-diaspora organization as such, it does appear to have experience working with that community. I believe that, if necessary, it could assist the Commission better understand impact of foreign interference on the Indian community in Canada”.
From the document, it seems clear that Justice for All Canada has been indeed granted a standing in the Inquiry Committee. A cursory look at the website and the X handle of the organization reveals that it is an anti-Bharat coalition of Islamist and Khalistani forces. Their X handle is full of one-sided posts on the Israel-Palestine conflict accusing Israel of genocide and human rights violations. They seem to be taking a totally biased view of the situation and can thus be seen as further perpetuating antisemitism.
With regard to Bharat, their views seem to be full of extreme anti-Hindu hatred. They seem to be working hand in glove with the Bharatiya Islamists accusing the Bharatiya government of disturbing communal harmony and targeting Muslims by relentlessly razing mosques. The organization has also posted vociferously against the ban on leftist activist Harsh Mander and his NGO by the Bharatiya government.
Their anti-Bharat links become even more clear on their website. The organization has been running campaigns like “Kashmir Action “and “Save India from Fascism”. The campaign Kashmir Action does vicious propaganda against the Bharatiya government’s policy on Kashmir and instigates Canadians to ask their MP to demand Action from Canada on Kashmir. It’s strange that organizations who are actively seeking foreign interference in Bharat’s internal politics, on the contrary, accuse Bharat of doing so. It’s intended as a cover-up for their own actions, it seems.
The other dramatic campaign called “Save India from Fascism” asks Canadians to “Tell Prime Minister to Condemn Genocide “and “Tell Local MP To Raise Genocide Issue in Parliament”.
All this goes on to show the sorry state of affairs in Canada and how the state seems to be at the total mercy of the powerful nexus of Khalistanis and Islamists. These rabid anti-Hindu and anti-Bharat groups seem to have taken over the politics of Canada and the politicians of the country fail to raise their voice against any of this either out of fear or due to vote bank politics.
It’s high time Bharat becomes proactive in countering anti-Bharat propaganda peddled jointly by the Canadian government and such extremist groups patronized by them. Rather, it’s high time Bharat formally accuses Canada of interfering in its internal politics.
