CHENNAI: CPI leader D Raja on Tuesday condemned the attack on a Hindu temple in Canada, calling the incident “a serious matter” and said violence against any group must be condemned.
Speaking to ANI, CPI leader D Raja said, “What happened in Canada is a serious matter of concern. Violence against any section of the people should be condemned.”
He added that it is the responsibility of the Government of Canada to ensure protection and security for all minorities.
“It is the responsibility of the government of Canada to provide protection and security to all minorities. It applies to every other country also. Minorities need to be protected and safeguarded. It is the responsibility of every government. Already the relationship between India and Canada is getting strained and this should not further complicate the relationship between India and Canada,” CPI leader Raja told ANI.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Mrutyunjay Tiwari criticised the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre over the attack on a Hindu temple in Canada and said that it was a failure of the Central government and its foreign policies that has led to such a situation in other countries.
Speaking to ANI, RJD leader Tiwari said, “Central government should put pressure, why is such situation happening in other countries? This could be seen as a failure of the Central government, their foreign policies…PM should talk about what action are they taking against this…”
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA and Party General Secretary Rafiqul Islam had also earlier condemned the attack on the Hindu temple in Canada and demanded that the Canadian government impose severe punishments on the culprits to deter future attacks on religious institutions.
Speaking to ANI, AIUDF MLA Islam said, “It is unfortunate. We condemn this. As an Indian, We demand that the Canadian government bring the culprits to justice and impose the harshest punishments to deter future attacks on religious temples. Anyone who attacks any religious place is a criminal.”
He urged the Central Government to talk to the Canadian government to prevent such incidents from happening in future.
“It is the responsibility of our government. The Government of India should talk to the Government of Canada or those who are with them and discuss all these things so that such things do not happen again,” he told ANI.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sidharth Nath Singh also condemned the attack on a Hindu temple in Canada and accused the Justin Trudeau government of supporting Khalistanis for “vote bank politics.”
Speaking to ANI, Singh said, “The Canadian government is supporting Khalistanis because of the vote bank, I condemn the attack on Hindus and Hindu temples. The government of India will give them a proper reply and will take appropriate action.”
Earlier today, BJP hit out at the Congress party over its ‘silence’ on the recent attacks on Hindu temples in Canada, saying the party leaders only prioritise vote bank politics over their principles and prefer to remain silent on such important issues.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said that while Congress and its allies speak for Gaza, they have gone “completely silent” for Hindus in Canada and Bangladesh.
Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla said, “You find that the INDI Alliance, especially Priyanka Vadra, Rahul Gandhi and others who cry for Muslims in Gaza, whose alliance tweets and speaks up for Hezbollah and Hamas have gone completely silent when it comes to Hindus in Canada and Bangladesh.”
“It shows that for the sake of vote bank politics, these people will put their principles aside and perhaps they consider these radical elements who are attacking Hindus, as their essential vote bank and therefore they will not open their mouths. They will only question Indian Govt, they will remain silent on questioning these fundamentalist elements,” he added.
On Sunday, an Indian consular camp at the Hindu Sabha Temple witnessed a “violent disruption” in Brampton, near Toronto. The rise in attacks against Hindu temples has raised deep concerns among the Hindu-Canadian community.
In response, over a thousand Canadian Hindus gathered outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton, Canada on Monday evening (local time) to protest against the repeated attacks on Hindu temples in the country, a day after the temple was attacked by Khalistextremists.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had strongly condemned the “deliberate attack” and the “cowardly attempts to intimidate” Indian diplomats, adding that New Delhi expects Canadian authorities to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.
The strong statement by PM Modi came hours after the Ministry of External Affairs condemned the acts of violence perpetrated by extremists and separatists at the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton, Ontario.
There has been a string of similar incidents documented in recent years, underscoring a distressing trend of religious intolerance in Canada.