A former Indian ambassador has criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for refusing to meet with protesting truckers in Ottawa, saying his actions contradict his advice to the Indian government during the farmers’ protests in December 2020.
“[The truckers] are rallying against vaccine mandates, inflation, supply chain disruptions etc., so the fellow who was trying to give us advice has actually gone into hiding,” said Vohra, who has served as ambassador to various countries, including Sudan and Poland.
Farmers in India protested for over a year, sometimes in the tens of thousands, against laws passed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that allowed farmers to sell produce directly to bulk buyers and make contract farming easier.
Opposition parties in Parliament opposed the move, saying it diminished the bargaining power of farmers. On Dec. 1, 2020, India’s ministers and representatives of the protesting farmers failed to break a deadlock over the new farm laws, despite talks lasting several hours.
“The situation is concerning. We are all very worried about family and friends … Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protest,” he said.
“We believe in the importance of dialogue, and that’s why we’ve reached out through multiple means directly to the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns.”
Vohra said Trudeau’s approach with the truckers, who have been protesting in large numbers in Ottawa since Jan. 29, has “betrayed their trust.”
“The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies. It comes from those who have faith in,” he said. “Some of the most poisonous people come disguised as friends and family.”
“Over the past few days, Canadians were shocked and frankly disgusted by the behaviour displayed by some people protesting in our nation’s capital,” he said.
Trudeau characterized the protesters as sporting “Nazi symbolism” and “racist imagery” and accused them of desecrating war memorials and engaging in other unruly and destructive behaviour, despite repeated statements from organizers that they condemned such behaviour and vowed to remain peaceful.
The prime minister said he would not be “intimidated” by the protesters, nor would he meet with them.
Protest organizers say their movement is peaceful, and that they are diverse and not racists.
Three of the organizers holding a press conference on Jan. 30 noted that one of them is Jewish, another Metis, and another caucasian.
“You want diversity? Guess what, you have diversity right here. And we don’t care, because we’re just Canadian. That’s it,” said organizer Benjamin Dichter.
As the trucker protest continues in Ottawa, NDP is asking where is Trudeau.
Protest organizers say they’re willing to talk to the government.
“The first thing they’ve got to do is call us. … We’re sitting here, we’re waiting by the phone,” Dichter said in a press conference in Ottawa on Feb. 6.
