The Tiranga and Maple car rally was seen as a show of strength against the fringe Khalistani elements, targetting Indians in some parts of Canada over a group of Indians held a rally in support of farm laws passed in Indian and are in the center of farmers' agitation.
The Indian diaspora organised a Tiranga rally in Brampton area of Ontario on Sunday with hundreds of cars participating with Indian national flags installed on them.
India's concerns over threats to minorities
The rally comes at a time when India is helping Canada with COVID-19 vaccines and amid India's concerns over threats to minorities in Canada.
Last week, India requested the Canadian government to ensure the safety and security of all the citizens including minorities after reports emerged about attacks on members of the Indian community in Canada.
Responding to a question about threats to the Indian community in Canada, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Shrivastava said, "We have come across threats and intimidation of some members of the Indian community in Canada. These threats have come from certain fringe elements in Canada and we have taken this up with the Canadian authorities both in Ottawa and Delhi".
"We have requested them to take steps to ensure the safety of Indian citizens in Canada," Shrivastava had told reporters during a weekly briefing.
Threats to 'visible Hindu minorities'
On February 26, a group of Indian-Canadians staged a protest outside the office of Jagmeet Singh, MP from Riding seat of Burnaby, asking him to "protect all Canadian citizens including Hindu-Canadians" not support Khalistanis.
"We're not against farmers' movement but this movement has actually turned into a Khalistani movement which is now targetting Hindu visible minorities. We really expect our leaders to protect everyone without any discrimination," a demonstrator said outside the MP's office.
