Ravneet Singh Bittu
Credit: X/@RavneetBittu
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu of the BJP on Sunday said that 'Canada has replaced Pakistan'.
Bittu was speaking to ANI when he said that "India, and especially Punjab, had high regard and affection for Canada... Those who were living in Pakistan have shifted to Canada because they are getting good funding in the name of Gurudwaras".
He, however, said that India does not back away from threats and the nation would give a 'befitting reply now'.
His remarks come amid the nosedive in diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Ottawa. In the latest development, India said that consular officials there are under surveillance, even as Canada has declared the former High Commissioner of India there as a person of interest in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
A day after Bittu's comments, news of Khalistanis attacking devotees at a Hindu temple in Canada's Brampton emerged, drawing a sharp rebuke from both Justin Trudeau, the Canadian PM, as well as the Indian embassy there.
"The acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton today are unacceptable. Every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely," Trudeau said, adding, "Thank you to the Peel Regional Police for swiftly responding to protect the community and investigate this incident."
Recently, a planned Diwali celebration in Canada was also scrapped, drawing the wrath of the community there.
As for Bittu, he finds himself embroiled in another controversy after CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas objected to 'Hindi-only' replies from ministers.
"It has been a norm and precedent that letters addressed from Union Govt to south MPs are written in English. Lately, however, that's not the case, and Ravneet Bittu makes it a point to write exclusively in Hindi. Am compelled to reply him in Malayalam! (sic)," he said, with his office adding, "In a compelling gesture of protest, Dr. John Brittas MP has conveyed his response in Malayalam to Shri Ravneet Singh, Minister of State of Railways & Food Processing Industries. This action draws attention to the ongoing issue of receiving Hindi-only replies from the Union Government in response to parliamentary interventions, despite the linguistic diversity of India and Dr. John Brittas's representation of Kerala, a state which hasn't adopted Hindi as an official language."
(With PTI inputs)