India’s alleged role in assassination plots across North America has drawn rare criticism in the US Congress for a country often seen as an ally of the US.
The matter was mentioned several times during a hearing on cross-border repression held in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, where lawmakers focused primarily on human rights abuses by China, Russia, and Iran.
The hearing contained what may be the most detailed accusation by a prominent American politician since the allegations of an Indian-backed murder plot.
“India is the oldest democracy in the world, and we often say India is the largest democracy,” Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told a meeting of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “This is not the behavior of a good democrat.”
At the beginning of the hearing, the Democratic Party chairman referred to allegations by Canada and the United States that the Indian government was involved in assassination plots against Sikh separatists.
Top Republicans also mentioned the matter before moving on to the hearing’s main focus on America’s rival countries that habitually threaten and harm political dissidents abroad.
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Mr. Cain made extended remarks toward the end of the hearing. The Virginia Democrat and former vice presidential candidate started reading with a book. article The Wall Street Journal discusses the connection between the US and Canadian assassination plots.
“It’s very worrying, to say the least,” Cain said.
Expanding geopolitical partnerships
He found it interesting how negative India was after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first claimed that it was involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, in June. It pointed out.
Kaine contrasted this with India’s response to US claims that Indian officials were involved in an attempted murder of an American in New York City.
India has now expressed concern about the US lawsuit and has promised to conduct some kind of investigation, although details are unclear. “Their comments were a little more reasonable. [responding to the U.S. case]” Kane said.
He then alluded to the metaphorical elephant in the room. India is seen as a growing geopolitical partner for the United States as it prepares for a potentially long-term competition with China.
It is not easy for US officials to criticize India. Indeed, U.S. officials have held numerous closed-door meetings since September to issue brief statements about these incidents and express concern and support for Canada. However, they are evaluated through public comment.
“It’s another thing to deal with this behavior when it comes from a country that puts us in the enemy camp, like China or Iran,” Cain said. “How do we deal with this when we are a partner country?”
He asked Michael Abramowitz that question. president Freedom House produces an annual index on freedom in the world.
of index It recently downgraded India from the free state category to partially free state, sliding its scores across several criteria. This decline is seen in many countries, including the United States.
WATCH | US indictment alleges multiple assassination plots linked to India across North America.
The United States on Wednesday indicted an Indian national for allegedly plotting to kill a Sikh separatist leader in New York. The indictment implicates unnamed Indian government officials in multiple assassination plots in the United States and Canada. CBC’s Katie Simpson breaks down the indictment before giving an opinion from former CSIS Director Ward Elcock.
Abramowitz said he sees two worrying trends in his group. One is authoritarian governance, which has been spreading in recent years. The other thing, he says, is the backsliding of democracy.
“Clearly, India is one example of this type of setback,” he said, citing the Indian state’s actions abroad as an example.
