The stand taken by Jairam Ramesh and Channi is in stark contrast with the one taken by another Punjab MP Manish Tewari.
The division within the INDIA bloc has been exposed yet again, this time over the India-Canada tug-of-war. With India stepping up its attack on the Canadian government, a battle is being fought between the Opposition and the Narendra Modi government as well.
The lead was taken by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, when he made a statement on X to say, “Allegations made by Canada, now backed by several other countries, are threatening to escalate, tarnishing India’s global reputation and damaging Brand India. Our nation’s international image as a country that believes in and adheres to the rule of law is at risk, and it is crucial that we act together to defend it.”
Former Punjab CM and Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi, too, pitched strongly for improving India-Canada ties. His stand stems from the fact that there are large number of Sikhs and Punjabis settled in Canada and much of the economy runs from there as well. It’s a political compulsion for Channi and leaders like him to support good India-Canada relations.
But the stand taken by Jairam Ramesh and Channi is in stark contrast with the one taken by another Punjab MP Manish Tewari. He lost his father to terrorism in Punjab when it was at its peak and his anger against Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is palpable and understandable.
He told News18, “When the Kanishka bombing took place, the Canadian government then should have done something about it. But the way Trudeau has handled it and made allegations is inexplicable.”
Congress is not the only one which is seeing divergent views, it’s the Trinamool Congress (TMC). For example, TMC MP Sagarika Ghose has said, “Indian foreign policy has always had a high moral purpose which must be maintained. The Modi government needs to inform the opposition on its next steps.”
However, TMC leader Saket Gokhale sounded more like Manish Tewari when he attacked the Canadian PM. “The sheer hypocrisy of Canada’s PM Trudeau & his ‘Five Eyes’ allies is astonishing,” the TMC MP said.
In the end, this divergence in stands within the parties only shows that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can be seen to be on strong ground when it comes to a strong foreign policy and standing up to powers, while the Opposition finds itself on a backfoot when it comes to nationalism.
