India on Saturday condemned the recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Amit Shah that he was purportedly involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, calling it absurd and baseless.

Addressing a press conference, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India had summoned the Canadian High Commissioner yesterday to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.

On Tuesday, Morrison claimed that Shah orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering aimed at Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. He informed members of Canada’s national security committee in Parliament that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not provide details on how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.

Jaiswal said the revelation that high Canadian officials deliberately leak unfounded insinuations to the international media as part of a conscious strategy to discredit India and influence other nations only confirms the view that the government of India has long held about the current Canadian government’s political agenda and behavioural pattern.

“Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties,” said the MEA.

On the reports of a cancelled Diwali celebration, Jaiswal said, “We have seen some reports in this regard. It is unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.”

He also spoke on the reduction in the number of Visas by the Canadian government and said the ministry has been monitoring the well-being of Indian students and professionals who are working in Canada. “Our concern for their safety and security remains strong,” he added.

The Congress on Saturday demanded a probe into alleged blackmail and coercion used to bring NCP leader Ajit Pawar into the NDA fold and said the BJP’s washing machine was nowhere more powerful than in Maharashtra.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh highlighted recent comments from Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to assert that the situation encompassed not only coercion and blackmail but also a breach of confidentiality and the Official Secrets Act.

“The BJP’s washing machine is an all-India phenomenon, but perhaps nowhere is it more powerful than in Maharashtra,” Ramesh said.

Ramesh recalled that prior to 2014, the BJP had accused Ajit Pawar, who was then the state’s irrigation and water resources minister, of corruption amounting to Rs 70,000 crore. According to him, Ajit Pawar has now acknowledged that the BJP used blackmail and coercion related to these allegations to persuade him to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

He noted, “The non-biological Prime Minister himself led the charge, famously labeling the NCP—now an ally at both the state and national levels—as a Naturally Corrupt Party.”

Furthermore, Ramesh indicated that after becoming Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis presented Ajit Pawar with a file suggesting an open inquiry into the alleged irrigation scam, implying a threat of compliance or consequences.

Ajit Pawar, along with several other MLAs, separated from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by his uncle Sharad Pawar and allied with the Shiv Sena-BJP government last year.

Ramesh stressed that the allegations constitute a serious issue involving coercion, blackmail, and breaches of confidentiality. He has called for a thorough investigation into these claims.

These comments from Ramesh followed Ajit Pawar’s assertions that he was backstabbed by former colleague and then Home Minister R.R. Patil, who initiated an inquiry against him concerning the alleged multi-crore irrigation scam.

Ajit Pawar mentioned that a file reflecting Patil’s inquiry order was shown to him by BJP leader Fadnavis after he assumed the Chief Minister’s role in 2014. He conveyed these points while campaigning for NCP candidate Sanjay Kaka Patil in Tasgaon, Sangli district.

Reacting apparently to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s comment on poll promises, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday slammed the grand old party, saying they are badly exposed in front of the people.

In Karnataka, Congress is busier in intra-party politics and loot instead of even bothering to deliver on development, the Prime Minister said in a post on X. “Not only that, they are also going to roll back existing schemes,” he claimed.

The Congress Party is realising the hard way that making unreal promises is easy but implementing them properly is tough or impossible, Modi said. “Campaign after campaign they promise things to the people, which they also know they will never be able to deliver. Now, they stand badly exposed in front of the people!” the Prime Minister said.

Earlier, Kharge made the guarantees remark while pulling up Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over his statement that the state government would review the ‘Shakti’ guarantee.

“If we do not go as per the budget, we will go bankrupt and there will be no money to even develop roads. If this government fails, there will be nothing left to pass on to the next generation (of Congress leaders) except for the bad name and the latter has to bear the brunt for another 10 years,” he said while interacting with reporters.

However, Shivakumar on Friday said his statement on the ‘Shakti scheme’ was distorted and presented as if the Congress government in the state wanted to withdraw it.

“Check any state where the Congress has Governments today – Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana- the developmental trajectory and fiscal health is turning from bad to worse. Their so-called Guarantees lie unfulfilled, which is a terrible deceit upon the people of these states,” PM Modi said.

The victims of such politics are the poor, youngsters, farmers and women, who are not only denied the benefits of these promises but also see their existing schemes diluted, he added.

“The people of the country will have to be vigilant against the Congress sponsored culture of fake promises! We saw recently how the people of Haryana rejected their lies and preferred a Government that is stable, progress oriented and action driven. There is a growing realisation across India that a vote for Congress is a vote for non-governance, poor economics and unparalleled loot. The people of India want development and progress, not the same old,” said PM Modi.

In Himachal Pradesh, salaries of Government workers are not paid on time, PM Modi claimed. The Prime Minister said, in Telangana, farmers are waiting for the waiver they promised.

Previously, in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan Congress promised certain allowances which were never implemented for five years, he said. The Prime Minister said there are numerous such examples of how the Congress works.