India-Canada relationship ‘highly fraught’, says foreign policy expert as top Indian diplomat gets expelled

livemint.com:

Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau during the G20 Summit revolved around Trudeau's concerns regarding the alleged involvement of Indian government agents in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist based in Canada, according to Michael Kugelman. The Director of the South Asia Institute at Wilson Center has said that Trudeau utilised the opportunity to discuss his concerns directly with PM Modi. Trudeau's visit to India had a broader agenda—participation in the G20 Summit.

However, an opportunity for a tête-à-tête with his Indian counterpart provided the Canadian prime minister a platform to raise issues of immediate concern, the American expert said. “I understand that PM Modi also brought to Trudeau's attention his concerns about what has been happening with Sikh leaders in Canada. I think there could have been an incentive from Trudeau's part to be in a position to meet face-to-face with Modi to warn him about these concerns," Kugelman said.

“But, we saw that he really did not have a very good visit in India, there were tensions in his meeting with Modi, he had problems with his aircraft, he was stranded there for a few days. It became a bit of a mess. But keep in mind that he did not go to India, simply to meet PM Modi.

He went there to participate in the G20 Summit," ANI quoted Kugelman as saying. Kugelman earlier tweeted, “The Canadians didn’t go about this quietly. Trudeau made the direct accusation while speaking before the House of Commons, and his government publicly identified an Indian diplomat it expelled as the head of Indian intel in Canada.