India's new name (Bharat) is an international dispute

Bharat, the name by which India will henceforth be known, has been launched coinciding with a period of international prominence for the country, but not without conflict these days with Canada, which accuses its government of the murder of a Sikh fighter for the independence of the Punjab region. 

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the White House in June, where he received special attention, it was immediately interpreted as an attempt by President Biden to win friendship and increase cooperation to counterbalance China's weight, and not only in Asia.  

Meanwhile, however, India, or rather Bharat, was accused by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of being behind the murder, also in June, of a well-known Sikh opponent (member of the turban religion that distinguishes its more than twenty million members) who advocated independence for the Punjab region. 

Hardeep Singh Niijar was killed as he was leaving the Sikh temple, which he founded and presided over in British Columbia, and his car was shot at by two unknown masked men. Police investigations uncovered indications that the crime was politically motivated. 

Initially, the story was not given much attention until recently when Trudeau told the Ottawa Parliament that all the evidence pointed to the involvement of Indian officials in the attack. As a result, they decided to expel a diplomat from the embassy in Bharat. 

The Indian response was swift and the Modi government rejected the accusation and proceeded to expel another Canadian diplomat from the country. In the United States, where Canadian affairs are always the subject of media interest, however, this story has been in the press for three days and yet there has been little official reaction. 

The White House has paid little attention to it. A diplomatic silence that, in the opinion of commentators in Washington and New York, is further proof that the Democratic Administration wants to avoid any intervention that would tarnish the good moment in relations with Bharat.