Chandra Arya. File
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

A prominent Canadian MP of Indian origin on July 24 said the country was being “polluted” by Khalistani extremists who were “abusing” the freedoms guaranteed under the Charter of Rights, days after a Hindu temple was vandalised in Edmonton.

Amidst rising Hinduphobia in Canada, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir was vandalised with alleged hateful and anti-India graffiti on Monday morning in Edmonton in Alberta state, about 3,400 km west-northwest of Ottawa.

Chandra Arya, a Member of Parliament from Nepean in the House of Commons, said in a post on his X account that separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice released a video demanding that Mr. Arya and his Hindu-Canadian friends go back to India after he (Mr. Arya) condemned the vandalism of the Hindu temple and other acts of hate and violence by Khalistan supporters in Canada.

“We Hindus have come to our wonderful country Canada from all parts of the world. From every country in South Asia, many countries in Africa and Caribbean, and many other parts of the world, we have come here and Canada is our land,” Mr. Arya, a member of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party, wrote.

“We have made and continue to make immense positive and productive contributions to the socio-economic development of Canada. With our long history of Hindu culture and heritage, we have enriched the multicultural fabric of Canada,” he said.

“Our land is being polluted by Khalistani extremists abusing our freedoms guaranteed by our Canadian Charter of Rights,” Mr. Arya added.

Mr. Arya’s statement comes against the backdrop of severe strain in India-Canada ties over the killing of Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia, in June last year.

The relations between the two countries came under severe strain following Mr. Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity. India has repeatedly conveyed its “deep concerns” to Canada and New Delhi expects Ottawa to take strong action against those elements.

Meanwhile, the vandalism at the BAPS temple was criticised by other local elected representatives too.

The Consulate General of India in Vancouver had said in a post on X on Tuesday: “We condemn the defacing of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in #Edmonton with anti-India graffiti. We have requested the Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action against the perpetrators.” However, there has been no reaction as yet from the BAPS – the Bochasanwasi Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, the organisation that runs the temple.