Indian opposition lawmaker lashes out at Canada, calls it CIA puppet

NEW DELHI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Indian lawmaker belonging to the main opposition party the Indian National Congress (INC), Ravneet Singh Bittu, has lashed out at Canada amid the ongoing diplomatic row between the two countries, calling it a "puppet" of the U.S. intelligence agency CIA.

Bittu said that Canada had been giving a safe haven to anti-India terrorists and separatists.

Speaking during a debate in the Indian parliament's lower house Lok Sabha last week, Bittu also criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for accusing India of being behind the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar, an ardent supporter of the Khalistan independence movement, was killed by unknown assailants in Canada's British Columbia in June this year.

Calling Canada a CIA puppet, Bittu said, "Trudeau's recent statement will harm Canada's image. Canada is just a puppet of the CIA."

Following Trudeau's statement in Canadian parliament accusing Indian government agents of Nijjar's murder, a diplomatic row broke out between the two countries. Subsequently, both sides expelled one diplomat from each other's embassy.

The Indian government had also put out an advisory for Indians against traveling to areas which are prone to anti-India activities. Besides, New Delhi also demanded a reduction in Canadian diplomatic staff in its embassy here.