Following a two-day extension of a testing visit to India’s capital due to an issue with his aircraft, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has left the country.
He was supposed to take off on Sunday once the G20 conference was over, but a humiliating mechanical issue prevented him from doing so.
Following a contentious meeting between Mr. Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opponents at home and Indian social media users criticised him for the delay.
In the last few months, tensions between Canada and India have gotten worse.
According to India Today on Tuesday, Mr. Trudeau’s visit “did nothing to mend the frosty ties that he has developed with India.”
A few days prior to his trip to Delhi, Mr. Trudeau abruptly announced that his nation was postponing negotiations on a trade agreement between the two nations.
An important source of conflict has been demonstrations by Canada’s sizable Sikh community. India is concerned about the activities of Sikh separatists, although it denies any involvement in the June murder of a major supporter of Sikh independence in British Columbia.
According to his office, during the discussion with Mr. Trudeau on Sunday, Mr. Modi expressed his concerns about the “continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada” and claimed they were encouraging secessionism and instigating violence.
On the other hand, Mr. Trudeau’s office claimed that the Canadian leader had “raised the importance of respecting the rule of law, democratic principles, and national sovereignty.”
Mr. Modi and Mr. Trudeau also spoke about foreign meddling in Canadian affairs, Mr. Trudeau subsequently claimed at a press conference. In addition to looking into China and Russia, Canada is now looking into India as part of its extensive inquiry into election meddling.
A weekend dinner for world leaders hosted by the Indian President Croupade Murmu sparked questions when the Canadian Prime Minister chose not to attend. According to sources, his office provided no explanation. Some observers also believed he was hasty to break off a handshake with Mr. Modi.
It’s unknown what he’s been doing for the past two days. According to media accounts, he is believed to have spent the time at his hotel as he had no other diplomatic obligations.
Regarding the holdup in his return to India, neither Mr. Trudeau nor the Indian administration have made any public statements.
But an Indian minister did show there to officially bid him farewell and wish him and his party “a safe trip back home” on behalf of Prime Minister Modi’s administration.
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CC-150 Polaris with the tail number “01” was Mr. Trudeau’s aircraft, and the Department of National Defence of Canada reported to the BBC on Monday that it had a “maintenance problem” caused by a “component that will have to be replaced.”
The statement continued, “The RCAF places a high priority on the safety of all passengers, and pre-flight safety inspections are a standard component of all our flight routines. The fact that this problem was discovered is proof that the protocols work.
For the purpose of bringing back Mr. Trudeau, the defence department announced that a replacement aircraft was being deployed to India.
The RCAF reportedly despatched a technician to India who was able to resolve the problem, according to The Toronto Star. The CC-150 Polaris aircraft is a part of an ageing fleet that has encountered difficulties frequently and is scheduled to be replaced shortly, it was said.
Mr. Trudeau has experienced travel problems before, but this incident wasn’t one of them.
An aeroplane that was chartered to transport him on the campaign trail collided with a plane carrying journalists in 2019 while it was in flight. At the time, he was not a passenger in the aeroplane.
