In recent days, life in the national capital has been brought to a halt as hundreds of farmers protest against the government's recently enacted farm laws. The massive protests have since drawn the eye of international leaders such as Canada's Justin Trudeau who recently brought up the topic during an online address and said that his country believed in the "importance of dialogue".
He added that Canada had reached out to Indian authorities to highlight their concerns and noted that the country would always be there to "defend the right of peaceful protest" - comments that have not gone down well with Indian officials. "The situation is concerning and we are all very worried about family and friends and I know that is a reality for many of you," Trudeau said.
His concerns were not received well by the Indian authorities, with the MEA on Tuesday calling out "ill-informed" and "unwarranted" comments about the country's matters.
"We have seen some ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India. Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. In a terse message, the ministry further added that "it is also best that diplomatic conversations are not misrepresented for political purposes."
And while there is no doubt as to who the MEA was referring to, the fact that Trudeau had not been specified by name has become yet another talking point.
"Has the MEA today criticized Canada’s PM Trudeau by name today? (sic)" jibed BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy in a tweet on Wednesday.
Incidentally, this is not the first time that the Centre and Indian leaders have faced criticism for their choice of identifying words. As the controversy between India and China continues, Prime Minister Modi has spoken on several occasions about how India is wholly capable of giving a "befitting" reply to those who attack the country in any manner.
His refusal to name China however has been conspicuous in its absence, with many including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi latching onto the same to hit out at the Modi government.
