Amid deteriorating diplomatic ties with Ottawa, India on Thursday rejected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement that he believes in ”One India”, saying his actions do not match with his words.

At a media briefing here, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also stated that there are at least 26 extradition requests from India pending with the Canadian side of certain criminals. Along with that, there are several provisional arrest requests which are also pending.

”We had also shared security related information with the Canadian Government regarding gang members, including those of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and requested them to arrest them (criminals)…so far no action has been taken by the Canadian side on our request. We find it really strange that now people who we wanted to be deported or against whom action needed to be taken, we are being told that the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) is blaming the Indian side for the crimes committed by these people in Canada,” he said.

While testifying before the public inquiry into foreign interference in federal electoral processes and democratic institutions on Wednesday, Mr Trudeau had stated that Canada’s official policy is to defend the territorial integrity of India, unlike a few who advocate otherwise.

In response, the Indian spokesperson said India has made requests from time to time against individuals who have openly indulged in anti-India activities but the Trudeau administration has turned a blind eye to their activities. ”So in a sense, there is a gap between action and words,” he added.

The spokesperson named at least five people whose extradition has been sought by India from Canada. They are: Gurjit Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Gurdeep singh. Lakhbir Singh Lunda and Arshdeep Singh Gill.

On Mr Trudeau’s statement before the public inquiry that his government had provided ”only intelligence and no hard proof” regarding the involvement of Indian agents in the murder of Khalistan supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year, the spokesperson said,”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.”

On Canada’s statement that it had expelled six Indian diplomats, including High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, the spokesperson said New Delhi had already withdrawn them from Canada before Ottawa made the announcement.

He reiterated that Canada has not given any shred of information about the involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar ever since Mr Trudeau made the allegation in September 2023.

Asked if the strain in ties will also affect the economic partnership between India and Canada, the spokesperson said, ”india-Canada economic ties are very strong and vibrant. We have a large Indian diaspora in Canada which is a bridge through which we maintain strong people-to-people links with Canada. We have possibly the largest cohort of international students in Canada as well. This particular crisis has been precipitated by the Trudeau government’s baseless allegations. This is how we see the relationship going forward.”