Grilled by the opposition in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood by a controversial theory advanced by a senior national security official who alleged last week that rogue elements within the Indian government had conspired to embarrass the Canadian prime minister to derail the rapprochement between Ottawa and New Delhi.
The matter came to the fore last Tuesday when it was discovered that a Canadian man convicted of attempted murder of an Indian politician in the 1980s wound up invited to two events organized by the Canadian side during Trudeau’s trip to India.
Jaspal Atwal was convicted of attempting to kill Indian cabinet minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu in British Columbia in 1986.
He was also charged, but not convicted, in connection with a 1985 attack on Ujjal Dosanjh, a staunch opponent of the Sikh separatist movement, who later became B.C. premier and a federal Liberal cabinet minister.
Invitation rescinded
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and Jaspal Atwal pictured at what appears to be a film industry influencers event with Indian film stars in Mumbai on Feb. 20. (Submitted)
The discovery of Atwal on the guest list for an official reception held by the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi after he was spotted during a prime ministerial event in Mumbay nearly derailed Trudeau’s visit to India, where Sikh separatism is a very sensitive issue.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the invitation to Atwal was immediately rescinded, while Atwal says he stayed away from the event to save Trudeau from further embarrassment.
British Columbia Liberal MP Randeep Sarai has taken the blame for the snafu, saying in a statement that it was his choice alone to include Atwal on the guest list, and he realized afterward that he had exercised poor judgment in doing so.
But Atwal’s presence in India has also raised questions in that country about how the British Columbia-based businessman was able to get an Indian visa given his criminal record.
Rogue agent conspiracy?
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during a photo opportunity ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, February 23, 2018. (Adnan Abidi/REUTERS)
On Friday, a high-ranking government official, discussing the matter on condition of anonymity, suggested Atwal’s presence was engineered by rogue elements within the Indian government to embarrass Trudeau and to distance New Delhi from Ottawa, driven by concerns that Canada is not fully committed to a united India.
The official suggested that Atwal’s presence was arranged by factions within the Indian government who believe Canada is being too soft on Sikh separatists.
The factions wanted to undermine Trudeau’s tour to prevent the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from getting too cosy with foreign governments they believe want to undermine Indian unity, the official said.
The official spoke by phone to reporters travelling with Trudeau during a briefing arranged by the Prime Minister’s Office last week. He said Canadian security officials received a tip from intelligence sources within Canada on Wednesday morning that Atwal had been at a reception in Mumbai with the prime minister on Tuesday evening.
Opposition attack
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer stands during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
During question period in the House of Commons on Tuesday, the opposition went after Trudeau, seeking answers about this conspiracy theory.
(click to listen to the exchange between Andrew Scheer and Justin Trudeau)
ListenOfficial Opposition Leader Conservative MP Andrew Scheer accused Trudeau of incompetence and demanded to know whether he believed the theory advanced by the unnamed national security official that India was somehow complicit in organizing Atwal’s invitation.
“You see Mr. Speaker, I can understand where the opposition finds this difficult,” Trudeau responded to repeated questions from Scheer. “Because for ten years they used the professional public service for partisan ends, they torqued the public service every possible way they could and they do not understand that our professional, non-partisan public service does high quality work and when one of our top diplomats and security officials says something to Canadians, it’s because they know it to be true.”
Indian officials have yet to react to Trudeau’s statement.
With files from CBC News and The Canadian Press
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