India rejects Canada’s allegations and asks Trudeau administration not to interfere

• India termed allegations of trying to interfere in Canadian elections as baseless
• Canadian intelligence agency made many allegations against India
• India’s Foreign Ministry explained to Canada in a pinch

India has reacted strongly to the allegations by Canadian intelligence agency CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) and termed the allegations of trying to interfere in Canadian elections as baseless. According to reports, the Foreign Ministry has issued a statement rejecting the allegations made by Canada and accused Ottawa of hypocrisy. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the main issue is Ottawa’s interference in New Delhi’s affairs in the past.

During a press conference, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, ‘We have seen media reports about the Canadian Commission of Inquiry… We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections. It is not the policy of the Government of India to interfere in the democratic processes of other countries. In fact, on the contrary, it is Canada that is interfering in our internal affairs.

What did Canada’s intelligence agency accuse India of?

A document from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) said the Federal Commission of Inquiry is investigating possible interference by foreign countries such as India, Pakistan, China and Russia in the country’s elections in 2019 and 2021. The CSIS documents allege that ‘in 2021, the Government of India intends to intervene and conduct covert activities, possibly including the use of a Government of India proxy agent in Canada.’

The Canadian spy agency further alleged that the Indian government conducted interference activities in 2021 that focused on low-numbered electoral districts. The CSIS document said the Indian government targeted those districts because of India’s perception that ‘a segment of Canadian voters of Indian origin is sympathetic to the Khalistan movement or to pro-Pakistan political stances.’

The director of Canada’s intelligence agency does not believe this report

The document said CSIS had collected ‘secret information’ indicating that ‘proxy agents’ of the Indian government may have attempted to interfere in the democratic process by providing illegal financial support to pro-India candidates. However, CSIS Director David Vigneault has said that the allegations in the CSIS report should not be taken as fact and that the matter needs to be fully investigated. Because the information shown in the report appears to be unverified or incomplete.