New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) Amidst demonstrations and calls for protests by Khalistani supporters and sympathizers during G7 Summit in Canada, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday brushed them aside as unwarranted and unjust and said that such deplorable acts deserve no attention.

Speaking to the press, while attending a programme on 100 days of the Delhi government, the Union Minister said, “Yeh Kiraye ke Tattu hain (they are hired agents). There is no need to take them seriously.”

When questioned on reports of Sikh children being used in protests in Canada ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the G7 Summit, he said that these groups were previously aided and abetted by foreign funding, but now that their support has been cut off, they are resorting to such tactics.

He added that such politically motivated acts should not be taken seriously.

He further pointed out, “There is another video that is going viral, which shows that people who get funding from a neighbouring country (Pakistan) turned up against them (Pakistan) when they didn’t receive the funds.”

Notably, a group of protesters with Khalistani banners on Canada streets, were seen in viral videos on Sunday, raising voice against PM Modi’s visit to the North American country, where he will attend the G7 summit in Kananaskis.

According to reports, children were also seen in the demonstrations, sparking strong condemnation and denunciation from the BJP leaders.

Maninderjeet Singh Bitta, President of the All India Anti-Terrorist Front, warned against such provocative actions, “Those who are throwing stones at the Prime Minister’s photo and burning his effigy, those days are gone. The fear you once tried to create is over. The Prime Minister went straight to the place where you used to ignite hate. Do whatever you want — he is standing before you. This stone-pelting, insulting the national flag — all of this has lost its impact now.”

BJP spokesperson and prominent Sikh leader R. P. Singh said, “I don’t think the children are being brainwashed. Those children probably don’t even know whose picture they are acting against. Maybe they also don’t realise what PM Modi has done for this country, for Punjab, and for the Sikhs.”

Notably, the ties between India and Canada have remained frosty and strained for past few months, with latter, under Trudeau administration, holding India responsible for the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023 on its soil. However, the invitation from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to PM Modi enraged the pro-Khalistani outfits and leaders, who pledged to hold protests to lodge their voice.

–IANS

mr/uk