The Modi ‘friends’ who helped finance Poilievre’s leadership campaign

Two months into his 2022 leadership campaign, Pierre Poilievre spoke at the home of Aditya Tawatia, a politically active Vancouver realtor.

“Delighted to host the next Prime Minister of Canada,” Tawatia wrote on X, adding his mother had “blessed” Poilievre’s campaign.

Tawatia donated $1,675 to Poilievre’s leadership bid and has since kicked in another $3,750 to the Conservative Party of Canada.

It wasn’t the first time Tawatia had backed an aspiring prime minister: He is the founder of a Canadian organization set up to elect Narendra Modi in India.

The summer before Modi’s 2014 election victory, Tawatia was among a group of supporters that gathered at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mississauga, Ont.

At the daylong conference, they wore scarves with the lotus symbol of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and launched the Overseas Friends of BJP Canada.

Modi’s Hindu nationalist party eventually won, and went on to transform India into a rising power, but also to allegedly interfere in Canada’s elections and assassinate a prominent Sikh leader in Surrey, B.C.

Meanwhile, Tawatia and the BJP’s other original Canadian “friends” put their money behind a politician closer to home.

Elections Canada records show the four founding convenors of the Overseas Friends of BJP Canada donated thousands of dollars to Poilievre’s leadership campaign.

On top of Tawatia’s contribution, the former Toronto and Montreal chapter leaders each gave $1,675, while the ex-convenor in Ottawa put in $500.

They opened their pockets further for the Conservative party and have lent their support in other ways. Photos on Tawatia’s X account show him with Poilievre at seven events.

He also met with the co-chair of Poilievre’s leadership campaign in Ottawa, and hosted a breakfast at his home for two Conservative MPs and party supporters to discuss the Tory “vision for Canada’s future.”

Another former Friends of BJP leader, Shiv Bhasker, has been photographed with Poilievre at events as well, and recently sought the Conservative Party nomination in an Ottawa suburb, although he lost.

While the Overseas Friends of BJP has dissolved in Canada, those who started it now run other Indo-Canadian organizations that have featured Poilievre as a speaker.

“We like the Conservative Party, so what?” responded Tawatia, the former convener of the Friends of BJP’s Vancouver chapter, who has referred to Poilievre on social media as “our dynamic leader.”

“It is nothing wrong,” he added. “We are the most patriotic Canadians, we are proud to be Canadian, we are doing good things for democracy.”

A Conservative spokesperson said almost 37,000 donors contributed to Poilievre’s leadership campaign, and he had won overwhelmingly.

Given the tensions between the Modi government and the Liberals, it may be unsurprising that Canadians who supported the BJP have backed the Conservative leader.

Former Friends of BJP official Shivendra Dwidevi said diplomatic relations with India had deteriorated under Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.

“We are pro-Poilievre because he seemed the best alternative to a prime minister who was basically driving the relationship into the toilet,” he said.

In interviews with Global News, the original leaders of the Friends of BJP said the group was no longer active, but they continued to push for improved ties with India.

The high-powered group of Indo-Canadian professionals includes a professor of immunology, a realtor and yoga promoter, a physician and an accountant.

They said that when it existed, Friends of BJP was an independent Canadian organization with no ties to India that was focused on bringing change.

“Absolutely, we were people who wanted a change of government in India because of the corruption in the [ruling] Congress party,” Dwivedi said.

The former Montreal chapter leader, Dwivedi, said backing the BJP was a rejection of the corruption rampant in India under the Congress party.

“So it’s not a pro-Modi thing, it’s not a pro-BJP thing. The Montreal anesthesiologist and philanthropist described their support for Poilievre and the Conservatives as an anti-corruption stance, emphasizing that they were backing the party they believed was best for Canada. They expressed concerns about the Khalistani element and its impact on the Canadian-Indian relationship, highlighting incidents where Hindu-Canadians felt threatened. The tensions between Canadian Hindus and Sikhs were noted in a Public Safety Canada memo, with Trudeau’s comments on India being suspected in the killing of a B.C. Sikh leader exacerbating the situation. The future prime minister will need to address these challenges, including managing India’s demands and preserving Canadian sovereignty. The Overseas Friends of BJP Canada organizations were formed to support the BJP in India, with members clarifying that their involvement was not politically motivated. The groups later shifted focus to Modi’s visit to Canada, with some rebranding to align with the BJP’s mission. The Canada India Global Forum, formerly known as the Overseas Friends of Bharatiya Janata Party Canada, maintained connections to Modi’s party in its constitution. The complex relationship between Canadian politics and Indian interests was further evidenced by donations made to Poilievre’s campaign by individuals linked to these organizations. He stated that they are essentially advocating for the Indo-Canadians in Canada. His group has received $36,000 from the federal government’s Canada Summer Jobs program since 2021. Kaushik established the National Alliance of Indo-Canadians and merged his Friends of BJP group in 2021. He mentioned that they had completed their tasks, and each member went their separate ways. The Friends of BJP in the United States is still active but has registered under the country’s foreign agents laws. The American organization has regular interactions with officials of the BJP and operates under their guidance. Although Canada has passed legislation to establish a similar registry, it is not yet operational. “You are receiving second-hand malicious information from other organizations.” Please rewrite this sentence.