India blames Trudeau for frayed bilateral ties after 'no hard proof' statement from Canada

MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal

India on Thursday squarely blamed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the frayed relationship between the two nations.

The sharp reaction from New Delhi came hours after Trudeau admitted in front of an inquiry panel that there was no solid evidence when India was initially accused of links to the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

"What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along - Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats. The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in an early morning statement on October 17.

Trudeau accuses India of making 'horrific mistake' by interfering in Canadian matters

Trudeau, during his testimony in front of a foreign interference inquiry panel, said that Canada was relying on weak intelligence when it accused New Delhi of Nijjar's assassination last year. “They (India) asked us how much do you know? Give us the evidence you have on this, and our response was well, it’s within your security agencies. You should be looking into how much they know; you should be engaging,” he said.

The diplomatic row between the two nations escalated to a significant level after both the countries expelled each other’s diplomats following Ottawa’s move to make the Indian High Commissioner to Canada a "person of interest" in Nijjar’s murder probe.