The ties between India and Canada have been under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September linking Indian agents to the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

New Delhi: India on Thursday said its “core” issue with Canada is the space given to extremists and anti-India elements operating from that country. The comments by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi came a day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said India’s ties with Canada may have undergone “a tonal shift” following the indictment of an Indian national in the US for plotting an assassination attempt on a Sikh separatist.

Addressing a media briefing, Bagchi also said India also hoped that Canada will take action against separatists and anti-India elements. “Our position has been consistent. We have highlighted how we see the problem and frankly, the core issue remains the space that is given to extremists, terrorists and anti-India elements in that country,” he said. He, however, chose not to make a direct comment on Trudeau’s remarks.

The ties between India and Canada have been under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September linking Indian agents to the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June. India has strongly rejected the charges and stated that Ottawa has shared only “allegations” linked to the separatist.

Trudeau, in an end-of-year interview told the Canada-based CBC News, “I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can’t bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before.”

“There’s an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn’t going to make this problem go away,” he added.

On December 7, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Parliament that India has instituted an inquiry committee to look into the inputs received from the US in the case as the matter has a bearing on national security.

At the same time, he said there will be “no equitable treatment” to Canada’s allegations as no specific evidence or inputs were provided to India by Ottawa.