Indo-Canada relations: The way forward

If it was not a real tragedy for ordinary people and a mockery of human lives, the way Indian media on either side of the aisle and a state machinery gone rogue is treating the Khalistan issue would have been a joke!

A joke that is so dark that it has not just fractured the bonds of friendships of two great nations but brought them to the brink of becoming hostile for decades ahead- An absolute horror for the two million people of Indian origin residing in Canada.

And once again Narendra Modi- the autocratic Prime Minister of India, a democracy gone ‘mobocracy’ and his dictatorial, narcissist attitude of trying to demean and trample over the rights of any humans, organizations and now even countries that do not align with his ideology has created imaginary demons out of ordinary Canadians and its Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

And Trudeau’s crime in the eyes of Modi and his followers is the basic requirement of a democratically elected leader – defend freedom, free speech and the lives of its citizens.

Much has been written about the wrongful killing of Mr. Nijjar, a Sikh citizen of Canada and a supporter of Khalistani ideology- a movement to break a part of India into a Sikh nation. For details on the same, the reader can read the articles on my website www.devanshunarang.com

The Indian state had the perverse audacity of ignoring all international laws and commited a brutal assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, literally taunting Canada and its people that it is considered a soft state and a country with a weak leader. A leader who has emerged as perhaps the only one in the last decade who has staunchly and firmly stood up to all the dictators of the world- Xi, Putin and now Modi.

While Canada has been polite and civic in its discourse and especially towards the vast population of Indo-Canadians including the supporters of Modi’s right wing Hindutava ideology, India and its media is going bonkers everyday with the craziest of stories being circulated targeting Canada and its Prime Minister.

They take immense pleasure in demeaning Trudeau and show him as meek and weak through hundreds of what’s app forwards like they have mastered doing for Rahul Gandhi, the person Modi fears politically in India.

New crazy stories are circulated about Trudeau every day. That Trudeau was found carrying drugs in his plane, he and his party gets financed from Pakistan and Muslim countries, he is anti-India and has to be countered with by all means.

A popular lunatic Indian army veteran threatens on social media that Trudeau will be ‘removed’ within a year if he does not mend ways. Another analyst talks about nuking Canada while all journalists, leaders and influencers try and encash the nationalist rage in India by blaming Canada for many problems being faced by India and of becoming a nation where terror thrives.

The Indian media in its attempt to showcase Modi as a powerful leader is gloating about how Modi will now break Canada with fanning Quebec separatist movement. The fools do not even realize that the separatist movement for Quebec is decades old and has an accepted political status in our nation. There have also been referendums carried out to get a public opinion for the same which have failed in the past. Yet our political system allows for such free speech to happen peacefully and the state supports such measures. Imagine if India would ever allow a referendum in Kashmir, Punjab or a few other states of India?

The Indian government being caught red handed when Trudeau called Modi’s bluff of carrying out Nijjar’s murder, instead of doing the right thing, regretting the same and cooperating with Canada in the investigation, tried to aggravate the issue by going offensive and stopping the visas of all Canadian citizens. Guess what- that stupid measure is not going to affect Canada one bit but will hit India most.

Almost ALL visitors to India from Canada are people of Indian origin and to almost all other Canadians; India is a third world country which rarely, spoken about as a tourist destination.  And these Indo-Canadians only go to India because they have family or cultural bonds and invest heavily in the country. Now that the Canadian citizens, even OCI holders are feeling threatened to go to India, it will only affect India and not Canada.

And what exactly is the issue? That Canada openly allows Khalistani supporters to continue with their propaganda of a separate Sikh nation. Yes, but that is something not new and in fact has been occurring in Canada for almost five decades since the seventies. Yet no such measures were EVER required in the past or deemed necessary even at the height of Khalistani struggle. Yes, the Khalistani movement has a voice here and while it was mostly a fringe, yet over the decades the separatists have developed a strong hold over Sikh gurudwaras and also amassed immense financial clout.

Yet they always existed as a nuisance and a fringe, bullies like the Bajrang Dal and the extreme right wing Hindutava based groups in India who were rightfully so, ignored by the diaspora. They gained huge ground support and their cause was given a boost, only during and after the farmers’ struggle which was again a fiasco by the Modi government. On top of that when ordinary Sikhs were called Khalistanis and unnecessarily targeted, many moderate Sikhs also became supporters of Khalistan.

As an anti-Khalistan activist who has been one of the most active voice standing up to Khalistanis through my written and spoken words and also ground action, I regularly meet Khalistani sympathizers whom I have to face up to at various events. And yes while there are a few hardcore haters who carry the baggage of their past with them and are vociferous and hateful in their speeches, yet most people there are moderates and support a Sikh nation which they actually believe in.

And while I and many like me will continue to stand for a united India at all times, yet these people have the absolute right to express their views and even Canadian government, federal or local, by our laws cannot stop them from speaking their hearts out.

And while we oppose Khalistan because we truly believe in a secular, inclusive India, on what ground do millions of Hindutava sympathizers who are hell bent on making a Hindu Rashtra or state out of India, oppose Khalistan?

Actual hate resides in the hearts of these Hindutava fanatics who not only use hateful words, but also create terror and hate by their acts.

When Muslims are lynched, killed for even eating a “Prasad” or food, that is a hateful agenda which is actually becoming state sponsored. A Member of Parliament faces choicest of abuse in the Parliament itself because he is a Muslim, a seven year old girl gets raped and murdered by a Hindu priest just to teach the Muslims a lesson, Muslims are killed at random to instill fear and to promote the idea of a Hindu rashtra- this is terror and hate.

When ordinary Sikhs are called Khalistanis and their families are threatened with the toughest of laws, activists put behind bars and abused- that is terror and hate.

When ordinary Christians are systematically murdered, their daughters raped by savages and mob and their properties burned in Manipur- that again is state sponsored terrorism.

When activist, intellectuals, writers, thinkers are made to live in fear and not allowed to offer any act of dissent lest the state crack its whip on them and torment them- that is yet again a clear example of a fascist, repressive state.

And all that is real and happening in India. India well and truly is being converted into a country which is becoming terrifying to live for its minorities and even a large chunk of Hindu majority who do not agree to this militant Hindutava ideology of RSS/BJP/Modi. The Hinduism that India has known and practiced for years was always inclusive and accepting and this is only a primitive, hateful sprout of religion being effectively used by BJP to stay in power and control its people.

On the other hand, Canada is peaceful, loving, welcoming to all religions, people of various races, ethnicities, genders, sexual preferences and is one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world. If not the most, itself! The law is revered and people can follow any religion without any fear. And yes, we have freedom of speech and it is defended by people as well as the state.

So rest assured, Justin Trudeau and the entire Canadian government will let no stone unturned in ensuring that India repents on its act of terror carried out on Canadian soil. Yes Nijjar was a Khalistani supporter and a leader of Khalistani movement but that does not give India right to assassinate him. Or call him a terrorist without proof. If Nijjar was a terrorist than so are the hundreds, nay thousands of Hindutava supports creating terrors on the streets of India and regularly getting away with it. Or even Hindutava sympathizers and supporters in Canada and everywhere else who spread hateful what’s app messages, make hateful speeches against Muslims or any other religious or social groups that they do not believe in.

Fortunately the world including USA is acting firm and has been in support of Canada and also isolating Modi’s regime for its transgression. Hopefully India will realize its blunder and will take steps to tone down the rhetoric. Also hopefully the Indian people will realize that enough is enough and will teach a lesson to Modi/BJP/RSS and the right wing in times to come so that no one ever can ever destruct the secular, inclusive values of India.

India has survived for centuries and has lived through various periods of hate and I am sure even this will pass.

Sadly as yet, rarely has India exported terror and that too to a friendly nation. Hopefully this will be a one off case and once again, India will go back to its peaceful, law abiding ways and become a world leader, one who respects all nations and international laws and follows it in both letter and spirit.