India reacts to allegations of interference in Canada’s elections: ‘Baseless’

India has responded strongly to the allegations made by Canadian spy agency CSIS on how it tried to interfere in the country’s elections, calling the accusations “baseless.” The ministry of external affairs issued a statement rejecting the allegations made by Canada, alleging hypocrisy by Ottawa.

Addressing the report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the allegations “baseless”, adding that the core issue is Ottawa’s interference in New Delhi’s affairs in the past.

During a press briefing, Jaiswal SAID, “We have seen media reports about the Canadian commission enquiring into …We strongly reject all such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections.”

“It is not the government of India’s policy to interfere in the democratic processes of other countries. In fact, quite on the reverse, it is Canada which has been interfering in our internal affairs,” he added.

What did the CSIS report say?

A document by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service that the Federal Commission of Inquiry is examining the possible interference of foreign nations like India, Pakistan, China and Russia in the country’s elections in 2019 and 2021.

In 2021, the government of India had “intent to interfere and likely conducted clandestine activities,” including using an Indian government proxy agent in Canada, the CSIS alleged in the documents.

The Canadian spy agency further alleged that the Indian government in 2021 ran foreign interference activities that “were centred on a small number of electoral districts.”

The Indian government targeted those ridings because there was a perception by India that “a portion of Indo-Canadian voters were sympathetic to the Khalistani movement or pro-Pakistan political stances,” the CSIS document said.

The CSIS has amassed “a body of intelligence” that indicates a government of India “proxy agent may have attempted to interfere in democratic processes” by providing illegal financial support to pro-Indian candidates, the document said.

However, CSIS director David Vigneault told the inquiry that the allegations mentioned in the report should not be considered facts, and require further investigation. The information mentioned in the report appears to be uncorroborated, single-sourced or incomplete, the inquiry said.