India rejects Canada’s interference allegations and highlights Canada’s interference in India’s internal affairs | India News

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday rejected Canada‘s allegations that New Delhi had been interfering in its democratic processes.
“We have seen media reports, Canadian Commission inquiring into foreign interferences … we strongly reject such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections, it is not the government of India’s policy to interfere in the democratic process of other countries,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a regular press briefing.

“In fact, quite on the reverse, it is Canada who has been interfering in our internal affairs. We have been raising this issue regularly with them, we continue to call on Canada to take effective measures to address our core concerns,” Jaiswal added without elaborating on the matter.

‘India a threat …’: Declassified report
A recently declassified top-secret briefing report from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) identified India as a potential threat to Canada’s democratic processes, along with China.
Dated February 24, 2023, the report titled “Briefing to the Minister of Democratic Institutions on Foreign Interference” emphasises the urgent need for the Canadian government to address foreign interference actively.

As per a Global News report, the document explicitly states, “We know that China sought to clandestinely and deceptively influence the 2019 and 2021 federal elections,” naming China as “by far the most significant threat.”
It also highlights India as engaging in foreign interference activities, signaling the worsening of the problem.
Significantly, the document — obtained by Global News under the Access to Information Act — shows that nearly three pages of the report focus on India, although most details are redacted. The available information mentions, “India engages in foreign interference activities,” making India the only country explicitly identified besides China.
(With inputs from agencies)