Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office has rubbished the sensational claim by a former Indian diplomat that his plane was “full of cocaine” when he visited India for the G20 Leaders Summit earlier this month.
“This (is) absolutely false and a troubling example of how disinformation can make its way into media reporting,” Trudeau's office said in a statement as per the Toronto Star.
The bizarre claim was floated by former diplomat Deepak Vohra during a television debate after Trudeau linked the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar with Indian agents. Vohra claimed that Trudeau's plane was apparently ‘full of cocaine’ during his India visit for the G20 Summit. The former diplomat went on to claim that the Canadian Prime Minister missed the G20 dinner because he was 'high on drugs and did not come out of his room for two days’.
“During Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's visit to India for the G20 summit this month, his plane was full of cocaine. He also missed the President's dinner as some people say that he was not in his senses due to drug consumption," Vohra claimed.
"So, seeing this nothing can be said what goes on his mind,” he added, referring to Trudeau's explosive but unsubstantiated allegations of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Nijjar on his country's soil on June 18 in British Columbia.
{{/usCountry}}"So, seeing this nothing can be said what goes on his mind,” he added, referring to Trudeau's explosive but unsubstantiated allegations of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Nijjar on his country's soil on June 18 in British Columbia.
{{/usCountry}}India angrily rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official over the case.
Trudeau has now said that despite “credible allegations” against India, Canada is committed to building closer ties with it, The National Post newspaper reported.
“India is a growing economic power and important geopolitical player. And as we presented with our Indo-Pacific strategy, just last year, we’re very serious about building closer ties with India,” he told reporters.
“At the same time, obviously, as a rule of law country, we need to emphasise that India needs to work with Canada to ensure that we get the full facts of this matter," the paper quoted him as saying.