PM Modi, Justin Trudeau, Joe Biden captured in one frame in G20 family photo in Brazil’s Rio

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen on Tuesday briefly interacting with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau during the G20 Summit in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, despite strained bilateral ties. The two leaders were also seen conversing with US President Joe Biden.

During a group photograph, Modi and Trudeau interacted with US President Joe Biden, who stood between them.

World leaders gathered for the group photo in a cavernous room at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.

India-Canada relations have been at an all-time low since Trudeau alleged in September last year that there was a link between Indian government agents and the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey.

Nijjar had already been declared a terrorist by India, which dismissed the accusation as absurd.

The relationship took another hit when Canada recently sought to question the Indian envoy and five more diplomats as “persons of interest” in connection with Nijjar’s murder. India withdrew the diplomats and expelled six Canadian diplomats from New Delhi.

India has also accused Ottawa of doing next to nothing to stop the activities of Khalistan supporters who seek to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.

Attack on Hindu temple in Canada

Earlier this month, pro-Khalistan radicals attacked a Hindu temple near the Canadian city of Toronto, where Indian officials were conducting a consular camp.

Modi led India’s condemnation of the violence and demanded that the perpetrators must be prosecuted. He called the attack deliberate and said it was part of cowardly attempts to intimidate Indian diplomats.

“Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law,” he wrote on X.