NEW DELHI: India slammed as “baseless and unacceptable” on Wednesday acomment by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that formerKhalistani terroristJaspal Atwal was given a visa as a section of the Indian government wantedto embarrass his government, Times of India has reported.
Opposition MPs questioned Trudeau in parliament on Tuesday aboutinvitations issued to Atwal – convicted of attempting to assassinatea Punjab minister in 1986 – to attend two events with him in India.
National security adviser Daniel Jean’s media briefing last week suggestedthat Atwal’s presence was arranged by “factions within the Indiangovernment who want to prevent PM Narendra Modi from getting too cosy witha foreign government they believe is not committed to a united India”.”Does the PM agree with those allegations?” asked opposition leader AndrewScheer.
In a sharply worded comment, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “Let mecategorically state that the government of India, including the securityagencies, had nothing to do with the presence of Jaspal Atwal at the eventhosted by the Canadian high commissioner in Mumbai or the invitation issuedto him for the Canadian high commissioner’s reception in New Delhi.
Any suggestion to the contrary is baseless and unacceptable.”
The Indian government has taken a dim view of Jean’s briefing that “rogueelements” in the Indian establishment had let in Atwal into the country.