What is India doing in Australia and Canada that the government media there is so restless?

New Delhi: Australia’s government media channel ABC has recently made some revelations on Indian spies. Which are similar to the report of Canada’s government media channel CBC. Actually, ABC’s report claims that the Sikh community and their families in India are being suppressed by Indian officials and the Australian government is promoting its relations with India but it is worried about Indian spies on its soil. Along with this, ABC’s report also mentions the Hardeep Singh Nijjar case and the Canadian government’s allegations against India.

What the report said

The ABC report titled ‘Infiltrating Australia’, published on June 17, alleged that as the federal government embraces Narendra Modi and his/her administration as a key partner, India’s long arm is reaching into Australia, silencing critics and intimidating the Indian diaspora. In 2020, India-Australia relations seemed better than ever. Trade deals were flourishing and several defence alliances were being signed in response to China’s growing power in the region. However, India’s spies in the country were unhappy with these operations.

Canada and Australia report is same

Coincidentally, on June 17, CBC also released a report titled ‘First Year Later, Questions Loom About India’s Role in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s Killing’. The report mentioned several issues. Sikh activist and community leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead outside the Guru Nanak Gurdwara on June 18, 2023. Today host Michelle Elliot discussed the anniversary and an intelligence report that came out this month which suggested that some MPs ‘intentionally or unintentionally’ helped the Indian government interfere in Canadian politics. At the same time, highly placed sources told ET that India’s relations with Australia are taking new dimensions, including the Quad and the security sector, but there is a fear that if such baseless allegations continue to be made, Australia may also follow the path of Canada.

Let us tell you that the Australian and Canadian governments fund their respective government media institutions. The Australian government funds the ABC every year as part of the budget. This funding covers their general operating and broadcasting costs as well as special projects. But the Australian government reportedly does not direct the ABC on programming matters. Similarly, the CBC is also funded by the Canadian government. Documents released by the Treasury Board of Canada this February showed that the CBC will receive an estimated budget of $1.38 billion in 2024-25, up from an estimated $1.29 billion in 2023-24. Canadian government funding accounts for about 70% of the CBC/Radio-Canada budget, while the remaining funding comes from self-generated revenue, including advertising.