Congress asks Jaishankar to take up with Canada 'Indira assassination float' in Brampton parade

The Congress on Thursday urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take up strongly with Canadian authorities reports of a float depicting the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi being part of a parade in Brampton.

Canadian High Commissioner to India Cameron Mackay said he was "appalled" by the reports of the event in his country that "celebrated" the assassination of the Indian prime minister.

"There is no place in Canada for hate or for the glorification of violence. I categorically condemn these activities," Mackay said in a tweet.

Congress leader and former Union minister Milind Deora shared a purported video, which is doing the rounds on social media, of a float at a recent parade in Brampton depicting Gandhi's assassination.

"As an Indian, I'm appalled by the 5 km-long parade which took place in the city of Brampton, Canada, depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi," he tweeted.

"It's not about taking sides, it's about respect for a nation's history and the pain caused by its Prime Minister's assassination," Deora said. This extremism deserves universal condemnation and a united response, the Congress leader asserted.

Tagging Deora's tweet, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "I entirely agree! This is despicable and Dr S Jaishankar should take it up strongly with the Canadian authorities." Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.