Outraged over remarks made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently in support of protesting farmers, India on Friday summoned the Canadian envoy and warned such actions in the future will have a seriously damaging impact on the bilateral ties with Canada. In an official statement on Friday, the Indian foreign ministry said: "The Canadian High Commissioner was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs today and informed that comments by the Canadian Prime Minister, some Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament on issues relating to Indian farmers constitute an unacceptable interference in our internal affairs." "Such actions, if continued, would have a seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada," it said. "These comments have encouraged gatherings of extremist activities in front of our High Commission and Consulates in Canada that raise issues of safety and security. We expect the Canadian Government to ensure the fullest security of Indian diplomatic personnel and its political leaders to refrain from pronouncements that legitimize extremist activism," it said. Earlier this week, the Canadian premier backed the protesting farmers, drawing a sharp response from India with New Delhi calling Trudeau's comments "ill-informed" and "interference in internal affairs of a democratic country". Speaking to Canadian-Sikh community leaders at an online event this week, Trudeau said: "I would be remiss if I didn't start by recognizing the news coming from India about the protest by farmers. The situation is concerning. We are all very worried about family and friends. We know that's a reality for many of you." "Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protesters. We believe in the process of dialogue. We've reached out through multiple means to the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns. This is a moment for all of us to pull together." The Canadain premier also posted a video of the entire interaction on his Twitter account.
