Canada ruling party MP holds talks with Jaishankar

Chandra Arya, an MP from the incumbent caucus of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi on Monday.

This was the first such contact since September 18, 2023, when Trudeau stated in the House of Commons that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, three months earlier. That he was the first elected Federal representative to have such a meeting in India was confirmed by a senior Indian official.

While there have been meetings between officials, those have been private and not announced.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a brief interaction with Trudeau on the margins of the G7 leaders’ summit in Apulia, Italy on June 14. Earlier in February, Jaishankar met Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly in February as they both attended the Munich Security Conference.

No Canadian Minister has visited India since September, nor has any Federal MP, though the premier of the province of Saskatchewan Scott Moe visited New Delhi in February as did former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said, “Delighted to meet Canadian MP Chandrakanth Arya. As a genuine advocate of India – Canada friendship, appreciate his views and value his insights.”

Arya responded that the relationship was “very important” for both countries.

“As the outgoing Canadian High Commissioner in India said a few months back ‘in the long-term, Canada’s strategic interest and India’s strategic interest are absolutely aligned.’ Economic relations, specifically Canadian investments in India are going strong.

Skilled professionals from India are meeting our human talent needs. We have a huge number on international students from India. We must do everything possible not only to maintain this but to take it to the next level,” he posted. In a message to the Hindustan Times, Arya said he is on a personal visit to India.

Arya, who has been a critic of separatist elements in Canada has come under attack from supporters of Khalistan.

In July, Sikhs for Justice’s general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun, in a video, said, “The likes of Arya and his supporters, you have no places in Canada.”

“You must abandon your citizenship and move back to your motherland, India,” he added.

Arya’s name was also spraypainted as part of graffiti desecrating the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton last month. He was called a “Hindu terrorist.”

Arya countered SFJ’s attack on him by posting last month, “With our long history of Hindu culture and heritage, we have enriched the multicultural fabric of Canada. Our land is being polluted by Khalistani extremists abusing our freedoms guaranteed by our Canadian Charter of Rights.”

In his condemnation of pro-Khalistan elements and “hate and violence” associated with the movement, Arya also stated, ““As I have always been saying, Khalistani extremists seem to get away with ease with their public rhetoric of hate and violence. Again, let me put on record. Hindu-Canadians are legitimately concerned.

Like a broken record, I again call on Canadian law enforcement agencies to take this issue seriously before these rhetorics get translated into physical action against Hindu-Canadians.”