Critics latch onto perceived snub, costume changes, as Trudeau tours India
OTTAWA — A clash of political ideals may be behind a perceived snub of Justin Trudeau that was making international headlines as the prime minister passed the mid-point of his week-long trip to India, one expert familiar with the region said Wednesday.
Those headlines were also writing the script for the Conservative Opposition at home, who pounced on the visit as just another expensive Trudeau family vacation marking an erosion of Canada-India relations.
Media outlets including CNN and Al Jazeera seized on the comments of Indian officials who accused the Trudeau government of backing Sikh separatists known as the Khalistani movement.
“Over the years, the Canadian political establishment … has been mollycoddling Khalistani elements,” former Indian envoy to Canada Vishnu Prakash told Indian news site The Print on Monday.