Toronto: After a tense time between India and Canada, an important Indian diplomat was seen with Canadian leaders at an event in late November. India’s consul general, Masakui Rungsung, attended a celebration for Hindu Heritage Month in Surrey, British Columbia (BC), on November 29. There were also big names like BC Premier David Eby, Deputy Premier Niki Sharma, and other local and federal leaders.
Among the federal MPs were Sukh Dhaliwal and Randeep Sarai from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party. Recently, Dhaliwal tried to pass a motion in the House of Commons to recognize the violent attacks on Sikhs in 1984 as “genocide,” but it didn’t pass.
The event was organized by Kamal Sharma, an entertainment figure, who mentioned, “I love to bring everyone together. I’m happy it worked out.” He has been organizing these celebrations since 2022, when Canada’s Parliament officially recognized Hindu Heritage Month. This year, due to recent tensions, he wanted not just the community to join but leaders as well.
Sharma highlighted that the special thing about this event was that people from all religions were represented, not just Hindus. This gathering was significant because there has been little contact between Indian officials and Canadian leaders since a diplomatic spat began in October.
At that time, Canada told India that six of its diplomats were “persons of interest” in a serious investigation. India responded by withdrawing its officials and sending back some Canadian diplomats. This tension grew worse after Prime Minister Trudeau mentioned in September that there were serious allegations involving Indian agents linked to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan activist in Surrey, three months prior
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