India has rejected allegations it interfered in Canada's elections
India in a strongly worded statement today rejected allegations of election interference in Canada, and pointed out it is Canada that has been "interfering in our internal affairs".
In a declassified intelligence report, Canada had named India as a "foreign threat" that could potentially interfere in their elections, months after they alleged Delhi's role in the killing of a Khalistani terrorist on their soil.
"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 today.
"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," Mr Jaiswal said.
This is the latest in a series of allegations and counter-allegations that erupted last year with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claiming India's hand in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which India had denied.
The declassified October 2022 report titled "Foreign Interference and Elections: A National Security Assessment" called India a "threat" and warned that foreign interference was weakening Canada's democracy.
Canada has also made similar allegations against China and Russia, with China identified as "by far the most significant threat."
Tensions had been brewing between India and Canada since Prime Minister Narendra Modi scolded Justin Trudeau over rising secessionist activities in his country, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of G20 summit in Delhi last year.
A week after that, Mr Trudeau made the explosive charge that "Indian government agents" could be behind the shooting of terrorist Nijjar, who was a Canadian citizen.