Assassins Abroad Reflect A More Assertive India

While India was quick to dismiss Canadian allegations, it has adopted a much more cautious approach to the US indictment. India has much to lose by alienating the Biden administration as both countries have invested a great deal in enhancing Indo-US relations and making India a central ally in America's Indo-Pacific strategy .

Meanwhile, Indo-Canadian relations have been chilly since 2015, largely due to Khalistan activity in Canada. Moreover, annual trade between India and Canada is worth about $12 billion while trade with the U.S. is worth $192 billion . In short, India has much more to lose by alienating the US than it does by taking a hard line with Canada.

On the surface, it might appear that news of the US indictment could fracture India's muscular foreign policy. However, this episode is unlikely to have much impact on India's domestic politics. Modi remains popular with an approval rating of 7 8%.

He is credited, among other things, with India's emergence as a global power, with his effective handling of border issues with China, for taking on Pakistan and with the success of the country's space program .

The 26-party opposition coalition, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) , is unlikely to challenge Modi on this particular issue. The national defense narrative is a strong one, and India's territorial integrity is a sacrosanct issue for all political parties.

However, among some minority communities, Muslims and Sikhs, both at home and abroad, revelations of assassination plots could raise serious concerns. The Modi government's aggressive pursuit of a Hindu nationalist agenda, its repression of minorities and control over dissent have become more entrenched.

India's parliament is in the process of amending its sedition laws. If the changes are passed, endangering the unity and integrity of the country could result in life-term imprisonment . These proposed changes to the already harsh and draconian penal code will only further criminalize dissent.

The Modi government is ensuring that dissenting voices, particularly those of minority communities, completely disappear from Indian democracy.

India's campaign of global repression of Sikh separatists could have the effect of unifying the Sikh diaspora. It was in 2018 that Pannun came up with the idea of holding non-binding referenda to mobilize the global Sikh community.

That year, Sikh activists announced their campaign for holding referendums starting in 2021 across multiple cities. The first referendum took place in London on October 31, 2021, followed by eight more referenda during 2022 and 2023 in the cities of Leeds and Luton (United Kingdom), Geneva (Switzerland), Brampton, Mississauga and Surrey (Canada), Melbourne (Australia), and Brescia (Italy).

Pannun announced plans for referenda in Punjab and the U S and for another round of voting in Canadian cities. In October, following Trudeau's announcement of credible allegations against the Indian government, thousands of voters turned out to participate in a referendum in Surrey, B C, some coming from as far as the cities of Edmonton and Calgary.

Sign up for one of our free newsletters

• The Daily Report Start your day right with Asia Times' top stories
• AT Weekly Report A weekly roundup of Asia Times' most-read stories

While only a small minority of the Sikh diaspora is thought to support creating a separate Sikh state, the majority were likely registering their disapproval of India and its repression of minorities. The memory of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots , which left thousands dead in the wake of Indira Gandhi's assassination, remains very much alive within the entire Sikh community to this day.

But the politics of Khalistani referenda relies heavily on images depicting so-called“martyrs” (separatists killed by India) and Indian diplomats as the assassins of Sikh activists.

The desecration of Hindu temples also has the potential to create division within the Indian Hindu and Sikh diasporas. Canadian Liberal MP Chandra Arya has accused Khalistan supporters of targeting Hindu temples .

As more information comes out, the Canadian government will need to carefully manage its relations with India and the relationship between diasporic communities here.

Reeta Tremblay is an adjunct and professor emerita of politics at the University of Victoria .

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

Like this:Like Loading...