Indo-Canadians welcome PM Modi's visit to Canada for G7 summit

Brampton [Canada], June 17 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival in Canada for the G7 Summit has been warmly welcomed by members of the Indo-Canadian community, who hope the visit will mark a turning point in strained India-Canada relations.
Sumit Singh, a Brampton-based Indo-Canadian businessman and immigration consultant, expressed optimism about the visit.
'I wholeheartedly welcome Prime Minister Modi to Canada,' he said. 'I appreciate Prime Minister Mark Carney's invitation to Mr. Modi. This is a positive step and I hope it leads to the restoration of normalcy in India-Canada relations.'
Singh also voiced concern over the impact of diplomatic tensions on the Indian diaspora.
'More than 1.5 million people of Indian origin live in Canada. The deterioration of ties over the past two years has been disheartening for them,' he said, adding, 'This visit is a sign of hope.'
Canadian broadcaster Haleema Sadia also hailed the visit as a diplomatic breakthrough.
'To attend the G7 Summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Canada. Our Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has done a tremendous job by extending the invitation and easing tensions,' she said.
'There has been a prolonged period of discomfort and concern among Canadians. This invitation, and PM Modi's acceptance, will make a significant difference in improving India-Canada relations,' Sadia said.
Vishal Saini, Director of Hindu Forum Canada, also welcomed the visit and emphasised the contribution of Indo-Canadians.
'There are approximately 1.5 million Indo-Canadians who are contributing significantly to both the Indian and Canadian economies,' he said. 'Prime Minister Modi's visit will further strengthen the cultural and economic ties between the two countries.'
After arriving in Canada's Calgary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (local time) said that he will meet various leaders at the G7 Summit and share his thoughts on important global issues.
PM Modi said he would also emphasise the priorities of the Global South. This visit is part of his three-nation official tour, which began with Cyprus and will conclude with Croatia.
In a post on X, PM Modi stated, 'Landed in Calgary, Canada, to take part in the G7 Summit. Will be meeting various leaders at the Summit and sharing my thoughts on important global issues. Will also be emphasising the priorities of the Global South.' (ANI)

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Mint

34 minutes ago

• Mint

Book excerpt: How the global story of caste activism began in Marathwada

CASTE BOOK , SURAJ YENGDE , SURAJ MILIND YENGDE , NEW BOOK , NONFICTION , INDIAN WRITING , INDIAN NONFICTION : Nanded, my hometown in Marathwada, has been home to one of the most radical forms of Dalit politics for over a hundred years. The Arya Samaj, the Hindu reform movement, established one of its earliest centres in Marathwada. Fearing Muslim influence on the subaltern castes, the Arya Samaj started to reconvert the latter by offering janeu, the sacred thread. However, this was not looked upon favourably by non-Dalit villagers, who by way of punishment forcibly tattooed Dalit converts with hot iron rods. Marathwada has also seen a significant presence of Sikhs, Nanded being an important holy place for the Sikh religion. The radical message of mystics and spiritual teachers like Kabir, Raidas, Nanak and Gobind was carried by practitioners of the Sikh faith. In particular, the vision of society that Kabir and Raidas preached found especial resonance among the Dalits of Marathwada. Also read: 'Something like Truth': Staging four monologues around truth and justice Following in this tradition, Marathwada Dalits carved out for themselves a political space, whose potential for mobilization and receptivity to radical ideas were noticed by B.R. Ambedkar. Issues around land, education and sovereignty were all highly politicized in Marathwada. Those who rejected their oppression as lower castes looked for ways of fighting back. To them, Ambedkar-led politics seemed like a promising avenue. In particular, Mahars (a caste of Dalits) in my region gave their allegiance to Ambedkar. Though Ambedkar was yet to visit them, they had heard about him and his voluminous writings. He came from their caste-community and had a national as well as international appeal. Dalit leaders from the wider Telugu-, Marathi- and Kannada-speaking regions, such as Bhagya Reddy Varma, B.S. Venkat Rao and B. Shyam Sundar, eventually joined Ambedkar and worked under his leadership. My district and region were one of many centres of radical politics. Nanded's representative to India's independent parliament in 1957 belonged to a crop of radical Dalit politicians: Harihar Rao Sonule was our statement of our collective belief in constitutional promise. He was one of the early batch of Dalit MPs from the All India Scheduled Caste Federation who were intent on gaining rights for Dalits in the newly independent country. In our house in Janta Colony, Ambedkar Nagar, Nanded, my father listened to the morning Marathi news on DD Sahyadri—a government-owned satellite TV station. We had a black-and-white 14-inch television set made by a Videocon company. Each morning the same ritual was followed as I prepared for school. One day in 1997 my father held me and made me watch the TV: Kofi Annan was being elected as the secretary general of the United Nations Organization. My father called it Oono—UNO. He wanted me to register that a Black man had ascended to the topmost position of an inter-governmental body, never mind that Annan originally came from the crop of Ghanaian elites. My father perhaps wanted me to see that the UN and other international bodies could not only be accessible to native elites the world over, but could be a space even of Dalit politics. When the Taliban blew up statues of the Buddha, he and his associates protested by petitioning the UN—in a letter written in Marathi. Years later, when I was an intern at the UN's human rights office in Geneva, I was dismayed by its sheer inability to provide nonpolitical solutions to issues of the day…. In the United States, the Dalit cause was taken up by the coordinated efforts of professional class Dalits who had settled there. Their activism began with protests against atrocities within India and led to attempts to hold the Indian state accountable by placing the issue of caste on the agendas of US political and policy circles. Later, activists like Laxmi Berwa and Yogesh Varhade took the UN route that their predecessors like B.R. Ambedkar, N. Rajbhoj and Bhagwan Das had followed. Solidarity represents one way of connecting the Dalit movement with a larger cause. But the desire for international solidarity did not significantly influence the activities of Dalits in India. Their work evolved in response to the radical shifts of Cold War-era politics. The movement was split between left and right. Some aligned with a nativist theory of liberation, while others drew on the left's internationalism. One faction was led by Namdeo Dhasal, the well-known leftist Panther. Left-wing savarna scholars wrote extensively about Dhasal and promoted his image. Raja Dhale, on the other hand, who led the other faction, was primarily known to circles of academics and writers because of his distance from leftist politics. Later he became so disillusioned with the Panthers' leadership that he left and pursued a career in a political party run by Ambedkar's grandson, only to end up dismayed by it. A vast number of Dalit Mahars who identified with Ambedkar and Buddhism embraced Dhale. My father was an associate of his in Nanded and was particularly interested in Dhale's literary activities. They remained friends. My name Surudhay—kindhearted—was given me by Dhale. However, because it was often mispronounced, I shortened the name to Suraj. When I was a student leader in Nanded, I invited Dhale to visit the university and deliver a lecture. He came and the old cadres packed the hall. He spoke but it wasn't an impressive speech. When my father passed away, Dhale paid a visit to my home. I was in South Africa; I rang him to thank him for the visit. In his usual way, Dhale said that he had not done anything extraordinary. 'Milind was my associate, and I paid a visit" was his response. Dhale was known to call a spade a spade. He restricted himself to the activism of literature. He read many books. Whenever my father visited Mumbai, he would seek an audience with Dhale. I recall once we spent an entire day in Vikhroli, the area where Dhale lived. Years later when I was studying to become a scholar, I sought an audience with Dhale. He refused. He said that, like me, he had little time available; it was better that we should not impose ourselves on each other's time. His response made me feel he had become rude and bitter as an old man. A few years later when I spent about eight months in India, I realized why he had spoken in this way. In India, a meeting can easily last several hours. Dhale was also in a hurry to finish what he was writing—as he indicated to me. Also read: A new anthology of writings from south Asia celebrates marginalised voices Over the years, as my name became known in academic and literary circles, reports about me must have come to the attention of Dhale, for he commented to my cousin Nitin that 'Suraj has now become an important person". When Dhale died, the national media reached out to me to write an obituary. I was on the way to deliver a series of talks in Kolhapur. But I asked people to send me some books on Dhale and some of his original writings. I wrote the article on my journey from Aurangabad to Kolhapur, two sites driven by Ambedkar's politics. Dhale was widely read. He was among the first Dalits in the movement to actively pursue Black literature. In his young days, he dabbled in translating Black poets into Marathi. There are many such anecdotes about my father—who was my primary interlocutor to this history—and Dhale that touch my thinking and practice. The global story of caste or the story of global castes thus begins with my experience of growing up as a Dalit. It's also a story of Marathwada, India, which had the audacity to connect with the larger world. That is why the Dalit-Black nexus, which started as an investigation of literature and experience in Marathwada, became a precursor to the formation of an active political solidarity. Excerpted from 'Caste: A Global Story' with permission from Penguin Random House India. The book will be available around 30 June.

New Indian Express

34 minutes ago

• New Indian Express

Israel-Iran conflict: Tel Aviv, Tehran trade air strikes as conflict enters second week; teen killed in Qom

Israel and Iran traded air strikes on Saturday as the conflict between the West Asian rivals entered its second week with a 16-year-old being killed in the Iranian city of Qom in the latest Israeli strikes. Meanwhile, the first of three chartered evacuation flights carrying Indian students from conflict-hit Iran landed safely in New Delhi late Friday night, as part of India's Operation Sindhu rescue effort. The conflict was triggered by Israel's unprovoked attack on Tehran on June 13, which killed several top military officials, senior scientists, and at least 60 civilians, including 20 children. Since then, Israel has continued to target the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities. Tehran hit back in retaliation, launching ballistic missiles across Israel, with both countries engaging in tit-for-tat strikes targeting military and civilian infrastructure over the past seven days. Israel, the sole but undeclared nuclear power in the Middle East, has said the attacks are aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. It has also continued to publicly advocate for regime change in Tehran, including reported plans to assassinate Iran's supreme leader. Recap of key developments: 1. Indian citizens evacuated: Two chartered flights with Indian citizens who were evacuated from Iran have arrived in Delhi on Saturday under India's Operation Sindhu. 2. Death toll: Israel's strikes on Iran have so far killed at least 657 people, including at least 263 civilians, according to a US-based NGO, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, citing Iranian sources and reports. Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 25 people in Israel since the war began, according to Israeli authorities. 3. Iran says 'ready for talks with US': Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Iran is open to continuing talks with the US once Israel's 'aggression' stops and the 'aggressor is held accountable.' 4. Israel vows prolonged campaign: Israel's armed forces chief Eyal Zamir warned that his country should be "ready for a prolonged campaign" against Iran. 5. Trump says Gabbard was wrong: Trump has said his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was "wrong" when she previously said there was no evidence to suggest Iran was building a nuclear weapon. 6. Israel kills 82 Palestinians in Gaza: At least 82 Palestinians, including dozens of aid seekers, were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Friday, the enclave's Health Ministry said.

NDTV

35 minutes ago

• NDTV

On International Yoga Day, Rajnath Singh Shares "Op Sindoor" Message

Udhampur: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh led the 11th International Yoga Day celebrations in Udhampur of Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Singh met the army personnel here in Udhampur, praised their efforts in Operation Sindoor. "Your bravery is widely admired across the nation. I salute the valour and courage of the Indian Army," Rajnath Singh said during his address. He gave a clear message that Operation Sindoor was not just a reaction, and it is not over yet. "The recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam was not merely an isolated incident from across the border, but a direct attempt to target India's social and communal harmony. We not only foiled their nefarious plans but also delivered such a powerful response that Pakistan was forced to kneel down, leading us to announce a temporary halt to Operation Sindoor. As we have stated earlier, Operation Sindoor is not yet over," said the Union minister. He added, "This operation was not just a reaction to the Pahalgam terror attack. Through Operation Sindoor, we have sent a clear message to Pakistan that sponsoring terrorism against India will have increasingly severe consequences. Operation Sindoor is the natural progression of the 2016 Surgical Strike and the 2019 Air Strike." "With this operation, we have conveyed to Pakistan that its long-standing campaign of inflicting wounds on India through terrorism will no longer succeed. Any terror attack on Indian soil will now come at a very high cost to Pakistan. India is fully prepared to take every necessary step in its fight against terrorism," he said. "Pakistan aims to weaken India from within. But it must never forget that for India's unity and integrity, Major Somnath Sharma sacrificed his life, and so did brave soldiers like Brigadier Usman, who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the nation. Today, I am in Udhampur, just a few hours from Naushera--the very place where Brigadier Usman laid down his life for Bharat Mata," said Mr Singh. Expressing the importance of Yoga in our lives, the minister said, "As our nation observes International Yoga Day, it is important to reflect on the true meaning of Yoga. Yoga means union. Uniting every section of society with India's culture and spirit is the essence of yoga. If even one section of society is left behind in this effort, the circle of India's unity and security will break. Therefore, today, let us practice not just physical yoga, but strive for unity in thought and society as well. This must be done with patience and deep resolve." "Today, the entire country is observing Yoga Day with enthusiasm--and not just India, but the whole world is embracing our cultural legacy. Yoga, an ancient tradition over a thousand years old, was once practised only by sages. Today, people across the globe are performing yoga. This is a reflection of India's growing global influence," he added. He further added, "In today's world, where stress, anxiety, and unrest are widespread, yoga has emerged as a powerful solution. Yoga is not merely about sitting quietly with eyes closed--it's about mindfulness and inner control." The theme of this years yoga Day celebrations is "Yoga for one Earth, one health," aligning it with sustainability and global well being. Speaking about the theme of this year's Yoga day celebrations, the Defence Minister said, "Every year, we celebrate Yoga Day with a unique theme. This year's theme, "One Earth, One Health", reflects India's belief in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam--that the whole world is one family." The Minister arrived in Udhampur on June 20 and took part in cultural celebrations and Bada khana with army personnel.