Justin Trudeau's anti-India allegations may have added to his downfall

Critics argued that Trudeau’s shocking allegations against India probably set the stage for his downfall.

After months of growing discontent over his leadership, Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday(January 6). The 53-year-old’s decision to step down comes amid internal party dissent and low public opinion ratings against him.

However, his critics felt he had used allegations against India to deflect attention from mounting domestic challenges, including a falling economy, dissent within his party and allegations of corruption against him. And, this move may have backfired on him as Trudeau today stands increasingly isolated within his own Liberal Party.

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'Costly political gimmicks'

Several high-profile Liberal Party MPs have publicly called for Trudeau to step down, while the resignation of Chrystia Freeland as deputy PM and finance minister in December marked a blow to Trudeau's government. Freeland slammed Trudeau and his "costly political gimmicks" in her resignation letter.

Trudeau political crisis deepened in September 2023, when he publicly attacked India claiming that they were sponsoring criminal activities on Canadian soul. He accused the Indian government of being involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

India dismissed the accusation as "absurd". Trudeau's claims that India sponsors criminal activities were sharply criticised both domestically and internationally.

Also read: 'Horrific mistake': Justin Trudeau accuses India of interfering in Canada's sovereignty 

India-Canada ties take a hit

While India-Canada relations took a massive hit after these allegations, the diplomatic fallout from Trudeau's claims was severe for his leadership in Canada which had a significant Indian population.

After the Nijjar claim, New Delhi expelled six Canadian diplomats and recalled its envoy to Ottawa after Canada attempted to question Indian officials as "persons of interest" in the Nijjar case. Further, the Trudeau government came in for flak after pro-Khalistan activities in Canada, including an attack on a Hindu temple near Toronto,further caused relations between the two nations to nosedive.

Also read: 'Ultimate in gaslighting’: What Canadian media is saying about India, Trudeau

India rejected any link to the killing of Nijjar, a designated terrorist by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and accused Trudeau's administration of pandering to Khalistani sympathisers for political gain.

According to reports, it is widely believed that Trudeau has sacrificed India-Canada relations to appease Khalistani groups in hopes of securing their votes. His government patronised Khalistani extremists combined with the leniency showed by Canadian security agencies made these groups bold enough to target not only Indian diplomats but also Canadian Hindus.

Security analyst Joe Adam George said in a Canadian newspaper last year that Trudeau's decision to appease Khalistani extremists is not rooted in ignorance but "wilful blindness and partisan gain". After all, New Delhi had repeatedly warned Ottawa for decades about the fringe movement’s illicit activities in Canada, including its involvement in the 1985 Air India bombing, Canada’s deadliest terror attack.

Appeasing Khalistani sympathisers

Despite multiple exchanges, including meetings at international forums like the G20 Summit, Canada failed to provide any conclusive evidence linking India to the murder.

The Modi government accused Justin Trudeau of appeasing Khalistani sympathisers within Canada for his political gain. However, this strategy appears to have backfired, with many Canadians viewing it as a distraction from pressing national issues.