Why did Justin Trudeau support farmers' agitation in India?

Thousands of farmers are on the road against the new agriculture law of the Modi government. Trudeau expressed concern about the Indian security forces' attitude toward these peasant protesters and said that his government has always been a supporter of peaceful protests. The Indian Foreign Ministry raised a strong objection to Trudeau's statement. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Shrivastava called Trudeau's statement half-baked and beyond the truth.

The Foreign Ministry of India said that the prime minister of Canada's statement is unnecessary and like interfering in the internal affairs of a democratic country. Trudeau had said in an online message on the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev for about five lakh Sikhs in Canada that it would be their negligence if they did not notice the performance of farmers running in India.

Justin Trudeau said, "The situation is worrisome." We are all concerned about the family and friends of the protesters. I want to remind you that Canada has always been vigilant about the right to peaceful protest. We believe in the importance of dialogue. We have spoken directly with the Indian authorities about this.

Sikh separatism and Canadian politics
Sikh vote bank politics matters in Canada. Sikh voters matter to Trudeau's Liberal Party, Conservative Party, and Jagmeet Singh's New Democratic Party. The Sikh population here is close to five lakhs. Sikh separatism or Khalistan has been an essential issue in the relations between India and Canada.

In February 2018, Trudeau visited India on a seven-day tour. The tension was evident in that tour too. Trudeau's visit was very anonymous, and no special attention was given to the Indian government. In the Indian and foreign media, India did not show any warmth about Canada's PM, the second-largest country in the world in terms of area.

The Canadian PM is also known as Justin 'Singh' Trudeau for his generosity towards Sikhs. The Khalistan rebel group has been active in Canada, and Justin Trudeau is accused of sympathizing with such groups. In 2015, Justin Trudeau said that the number of Sikhs he has given to his cabinet is not as much in India's cabinet. Trudeau's cabinet then had four Sikh ministers.

Sikh separatists in the guest list of Trudeau's event!
Malkiat Singh Sidhu, the cabinet minister of Punjab, attended a private event in Vancouver, Canada, in 1986. Meanwhile, Canadian Sikh separatist Jaspal Singh Atwal tried to kill Malkiat Singh. Malkiat Singh was shot but survived. In this case, Jaspal Singh Atwal was convicted for attempting to murder.

When Trudeau came to India in 2018, Jaspal Singh Atwal was included in his official event list. On 20 February in Mumbai, Jaspal Atwal was seen with the Canadian Prime Minister's wife. Atwal later regretted that Prime Minister Trudeau had to face embarrassment during his visit to India.

How did Sikhs reach Canada?
In 1897, Queen Victoria invited a contingent of British Indian soldiers to London to join the Diamond Jubilee Celebration. A group of cavalrymen was then en route to British Columbia with the Queen of India. Risaldar Major Kesar Singh was one of these soldiers. He was the first Sikh to be shifted to Canada.

Along with Singh, some other soldiers decided to stay in Canada. He made British Columbia his home. The rest of the soldiers returned to India when they had a story. After returning to India, he said that the British government wants to settle him. Now the matter was of choice. The process of Sikhs going to Canada from India started from here. Within a few years, 5000 Indians reached British Columbia, 90 percent of whom were Sikhs.

However, settling and growing of Sikhs in Canada has not been easy. Their arrival and going to jobs did not go down with the Europeans. Protests had started regarding Indians. Even William Mackenzie, the longest-serving prime minister in Canada, jokingly said, "Hindus are not feeling the climate of this country."

By 1907, racial attacks against Indians started. A few years later, a law was enacted to ban migrants from India.

The first rule was made that Indians should have $ 200 while coming to Canada. However, for Europeans, this amount was only $ 25. But by then, the Indians had settled there. Most of them were Sikhs. Despite all the difficulties, they were not ready to give up their dreams.

They proved themselves in Canada with hard work and dedication. They created a strong community culture. They also built many gurdwaras.

Struggle of Sikhs
Sikhs were also forcibly sent to India from Canada. In 1914, Komagata Maru, a vessel full of Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims, reached the Bajaj Baj Ghat in Kolkata. Of these, at least 19 people were killed. This ship full of Indians was not allowed to enter Canada. Boarded There was a deadlock over Indians for two months. For this, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized in the House of Commons in 2016.

When the Liberal Party government was formed in Canada in the 1960s, it proved to be historic for Sikhs. The federal government of Canada made changes to the migrant rules and opened the doors for accepting diversity. The effect of this was that the population of people of Indian origin increased rapidly. People from many areas of India started coming to Canada. Even today, Indians have not stopped going to Canada.

In today's scenario, the federal party NDP is in the hands of Indian-Canadians. Punjabi is the third most popular language in Canada. 1.3% of the total population of Canada understands and speaks Punjabi.