Indian PM Modi attracts protesters at B.C. stop

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at a Vancouver temple to a crowd of placard-waving protesters, a reminder that the polarizing Hindu nationalist politician is beloved by the global business community but still disdained by many social activists in India and abroad.

On the last leg of the first bilateral visit by a sitting Indian Prime Minister in 42 years, which was marked earlier by thousands of cheering Indo-Canadians at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Mr. Modi stopped at a historic Sikh temple in Vancouver and a Hindu temple in Surrey, B.C., before heading off for a state dinner with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

At the Sikh temple, though, he was greeted by around 200 protesters – a much different reception from that same morning in Toronto, where he met with a select group of business leaders from BlackBerry and major banks. The protesters' signs carried slogans such as "Human rights before trade deals," "Modi is a genocide perpetrator" and "Modi is a fascist extremist."

Community organizer Mustafa Alam said the protest was fuelled by what he described as Mr. Modi's discrimination against religious minorities.

"Modi is a war criminal," Mr. Alam said. "He had been banned previously by other countries from entering into the state, and here we are Canada welcoming him, giving him the red carpet treatment, putting our economic interests before human rights and justice."

Several signs referred to the anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 in which more than 1,000 people, mainly Muslims, were killed by mobs when Mr. Modi was the state's chief minister. Several human rights groups have accused Mr. Modi's government of indifference as the killings spread. The Supreme Court of India conducted a special investigation and cleared Mr. Modi of being complicit in the riots, though many think his administration was partly responsible for not containing the violence.

Mr. Modi was once refused a visa to visit the U.S. over concern about his role during the riots. Canada, however, never refused him a visa because Mr. Modi never asked for one, said Stewart Beck, Canada's former high commissioner in India who helped cement Canada's relationship with Mr. Modi.

But in British Columbia as in Ontario, there was also jubilation at the Indian leader's arrival.

At the Khalsa Diwan Society's Sikh Gurdwara, located on the southern edge of Vancouver, a large crowd of supporters filed into the temple to see Mr. Modi speak. The president of the historic Sikh society, which has roots stretching back more than 100 years in B.C., said Mr. Modi will be the third Indian prime minister to visit, after Jawaharlal Nehru's visit in 1949 and Indira Gandhi's 42 years ago. The two leaders visited a museum dedicated to the Komagata Maru, a ship full of hundreds of Sikh migrants to Canada that was turned away in 1914 – an historic injustice that has recently been commemorated in the province.

Balwant Sanghera, a retired school psychologist, called Mr. Modi's visit a historic event, and extolled the Indian leaders as a "man of action" who will bring progress to India and prosperity to Indo-Canadians.

"It will open a lot of doors for both Canada and India," he said, beneath fluttering stringers tied between the temple and lamp posts in the parking lot.

"Naturally, any leader will have people who don't agree with them," Mr. Sanghera added when asked about the protesters. "But I think, on the whole, the Indo-Canadian community is excited."

At a Hindu temple later, Mr. Modi arrived to chants of "We love Modi. We love Harper." Mr. Harper introduced the Indian Prime Minister as "one of the world's great leaders," and noted how remarkable it was that Mr. Modi rose from selling tea at a small railway station in Gujarat to becoming the leader of the world's largest democracy. Mr. Modi then spoke briefly about Hinduism, yoga and the close watch that the Indo-Canadian community is keeping on affairs on the subcontinent.

"What is going on in India, you know more [than Indians themselves]," he said to laughter. It's like "when you watch a cricket match in the stadium. You can't get the full details like when you watch it on TV."

B.C. Premier Christy Clark, who was also on hand to welcome Mr. Modi and Mr. Harper, dodged repeated questions about Mr. Modi's human rights record in Gujarat. Instead, she held up his visit as evidence of B.C.'s role in the new global economy. "We are in a position to really build a partnership with what will be one of the – if not the – biggest economies in the world," she said.

At a state dinner in Vancouver at the Pinnacle Vancouver Harbourfront hotel, Mr. Harper took the stage after an effusive opening from Defence Minister Jason Kenney. Mr. Harper noted that Vancouver was the first port for some of Canada's first migrants of Indian origin, and also where one of Mr. Modi's heroes, Swami Vivekananda, who arrived in Vancouver in 1893 en route to the famous Parliament of World Religions in Chicago, where he is credited with introducing Hinduism to North American audiences.

"It has been a remarkable week, a great triumph," Mr. Harper said of Mr. Modi's visit.

Mr. Modi then took the podium for a speech that, unlike his others in Canada, was more scripted and formal.

"Even after these 42 years, the love that you have showered upon me will always be memorable," Mr. Modi said. "This is an historic visit."

A day earlier, Mr. Modi met with Mr. Harper on Parliament Hill, where the two leaders announced a uranium supply deal and simplified tourist visas for Canadians travelling to India. He then delivered a speech in Toronto, vowing to strengthen India's ties with Canada and promising his country would overcome corruption and poverty.