Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was offered a VVIP plane by the Indian government to return home after his aircraft developed a technical problem, forcing him to extend his stay in New Delhi for nearly 36 hours.

Trudeau had arrived in India on a two-day visit to attend the G20 Summit and was scheduled to return to Canada on Sunday. However, just when he was about to leave, he was informed that his official Airbus A310 had developed a technical problem that would take more than a day to fix.

According to news agency ANI, citing sources, the Government of India offered him Air India One services to return home, but the Canadian prime minister chose to stay in his hotel and wait for his own plane to be fixed.

It was reported that a reserve plane was sent for Trudeau, but it never arrived in India. Trudeau left on Tuesday in the same plane after the technical problem was fixed.

During his extended stay in India, Trudeau reportedly stayed inside the hotel and did not engage in any official activity with the Indian government or the Canadian High Commission.

Trudeau’s frustrating 36-hour stay came in the backdrop of tense bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 India Summit. The Canadian prime minister was “scolded” by PM Modi over the issue of Khalistani extremism.

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According to New Delhi, PM Modi told Trudeau to look into the issue of extremist elements who are “promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship.”

“The nexus of such forces with organized crime, drug syndicates, and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats,” PM Modi told his Canadian counterpart.

The bilateral ties between Ottawa and New Delhi have grown increasingly strained over the past few years. Ahead of his G20 departure, the Canadian PM announced to discontinue free trade agreement discussions with India.

The pro-Khalistani protests have been a major flashpoint in Ottawa-New Delhi bilateral relations. Earlier this year, a tableau parade celebrating the assassination of former India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was organized by Sikh separatists who demand secession of India’s Punjab province. New Delhi is of the view that Canada is not doing enough to stop these anti-India activities on its land.

In a statement to media after the G20 Summit in Delhi, Trudeau said that Canada will defend “freedom of expression” but will not allow violence. Canada is home to largest Sikh population after India.