- Friday, March 28, 2025
Indira Gandhi was gunned down by two of her Sikh bodyguards at her official residence in New Delhi on October 31, 1984, months after her government conducted Operation Blue Star.
By: Shubham Ghosh
After India’s external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and leaders of India’s opposition Indian National Congress spoke sternly over it, minister of state for external affairs Meenakshi Lekhi on Thursday (8) hit out at the government of Canada over the controversial video of a pro-Khalistan parade in Brampton, Canada, depicting the assassination of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.
Lekhi said an offence can not be celebrated and added that any assassination or murder is a crime in any democratic governance and the Canadian government must act against it.
As an Indian, I'm appalled by the 5km-long #parade which took place in the city of Brampton, Canada, depicting the assassination of #IndiraGandhi.
It's not about taking sides, it's about respect for a nation's history & the pain caused by its Prime Minister’s assassination.… pic.twitter.com/zLRbTYhRAE
— Milind Deora | मिलिंद देवरा ☮️ (@milinddeora) June 7, 2023
The minister also said all that is happening in Canada falls under the purview of law and order and the government must act upon it.
“Any assassination or murder is a crime in any democratic governance. So, something which is an offence cannot be celebrated and thus all that is happening in Canada falls within the purview of law and order and the government must act upon it,” the minister said speaking to Asian News International.
Indira Gandhi, who served as the prime minister between 1966 and 1977 and from 1980 to 1984 when she was assassinated at her official residence in New Delhi, months after her government conducted Operation Blue Star (the 39th anniversary of which falls this month) against Sikh separatists in the northern state of Punjab.
Jaishankar had earlier expressed his concern over the reports and said there is a larger underlying issue about the space which is given to separatists and “it is not good for relationships”.
“I think there is a bigger issue involved…Frankly, we are at a loss to understand other than the requirements of vote bank politics why anybody would do this…I think there is a larger underlying issue about the space which is given to separatists, to extremists, to people who advocate violence. I think it is not good for relationships, not good for Canada,” Mr Jaishankar said in response to a query about reports of late PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination celebration in the Canada city.
Earlier in the day, Canadian high commissioner in India Cameron MacKay condemned the celebration of the assassination of the former prime minister.
MacKay said that he is “appalled” by reports of an event in Canada that celebrated the killing of Indira Gandhi.
“I am appalled by reports of an event in Canada that celebrated the assassination of late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. There is no place in Canada for hate or for the glorification of violence. I categorically condemn these activities,” he said in a tweet.
The Congress, the party of Indira Gandhi, has also strongly condemned the glorification of her assassins during the parade.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi, Congress general secretary and parliamentarian Randeep Singh Surjewala condemned the parade in Canada and the depiction of the assassination.
“Ms Gandhi, as also the then Punjab chief minister late Beant Singh and thousands of Congress workers had laid down their lives to defend the unity and integrity of the country,” he said.
Other Congress leaders also criticised the event in strong terms.
(With ANI inputs)
