India's Ministry of External Affairs on Friday, 12 February, acknowledged that the farmers' protest against the three laws was brought up in the conversation between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
"On farmers' protest, PM Trudeau commended the efforts of the Government of India to choose the path of dialogue as befitting a democracy. He also acknowledged the responsibility of his government in providing protection to Indian diplomatic personnel and premises in Canada," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava was quoted as saying by news agency ANI on Friday.
PM Modi and his Canadian counterpart Trudeau spoke with each other on Wednesday, with the two leaders having a discussion on COVID-19 vaccines as well as their efforts to fight the challenges thrown up by the pandemic. However, the press releases from the two countries about the conversation differed in their version of the events.
Canada’s Statement Mentioned ‘Recent Protests’
Significantly, the statement from Canada mentioned that PM Modi and PM Trudeau discussed the two countries' "commitment to democratic principles, recent protests, and the importance of resolving issues through dialogue," in what appeared to be a reference to the farmers' protests in India, something which lacked mention in the MEA's statement.
The farmers' protest against the three contentious laws, has been going on for the last two-and-a-half months near the borders of Delhi-NCR. In the last few days, the protests have got international limelight, with the likes of Rihanna and Greta Thunberg tweeting about them. The global show of support for the agitation had prompted an unprecedented and caustic reply from India's Foreign Ministry.
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