The Canadian Hindu community has lashed out at Canadian Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre for canceling his participation in a Diwali event due to the diplomatic row between Canada and India. Hindus in Canada said the decision by the Office of the Leader of the Opposition to cancel Diwali celebrations revealed the community was seen as “foreign” in a country proud of its multiculturalism.

The Overseas Friends of India Canada (OFIC) criticized Pierre Poilievre’s office in a letter addressed to him and the leaders of his Conservative Party. removed from Diwali event which had been marked over the past 23 years.

No explanation was offered for the cancellation, OFIC President Shiv Bhasker wrote in the letter.

“The sudden withdrawal of politicians from this event, provoked by the current diplomatic situation between Canada and India, left us feeling betrayed and unfairly singled out,” OFIC said.

Poilievre’s cancellation of Diwali event comes even as India-Canada ties reached an all-time low after Ottawa alleged Indian diplomats were involved in information gathering and using criminal gangs to target Khalistan leaders. India recalled its high commissioner and expelled six Canadian diplomats.

“The letter represents the collective voice of the Indo-Canadian community, particularly Hindu Canadians numbering 850,000, an educated, prosperous, law-abiding and family-oriented community,” the OFIC letter states.

The Indo-Canadian organization said Poilievre’s decision revealed the extent to which Canada’s Indian community was considered “foreign.”

“This is not just a canceled Diwali event or an event that politicians are backing out of their commitment to attend; it is a much deeper and more insidious problem. Racism and discrimination thrive in Canada, and this latest development has exposed the systemic system. prejudices that still exist,” Bhasker wrote.

The India-Canada conflict comes ahead of Canada’s 2025 general elections, and New Delhi has blamed Justin Trudeau’s “vote bank politics” for the country being home to elements of Khalistan.

The Conservative Party of Pierre Poilievre is hoped to win the elections. However, the Hindu community has asked him to be careful ahead of these crucial elections.

“Remember that we will remember our friends as we exercise our candor,” the Indo-Canadian organization said in the letter.

Canadian Hindus criticized the decision to pull out of the event on social media, with one calling it “discouraging.”

“This is going to cost you dearly! You took the opportunity to become Prime Minister of Canada,” wrote an X user from Toronto.

Daniel Bordman, a Canadian journalist, called Poilievre’s decision “absolutely shameful.”

He said Poilievre and the Conservative Party pulled out of Diwali celebrations because they were “afraid the Liberals and the media would accuse them of foreign interference.”

The OFIC letter asked Poilievre to apologize for an “insensitive and discriminatory act,” saying the Indo-Canadian community had contributed to the Canadian social fabric. Diwali, according to the organization, was a celebration of unity and solidarity, and by distancing themselves from it, Poilievre and his party had made it a moment of division.