24 of Justin Trudeau's party MPs ask him to quit

At a time when he has launched hostilities against India, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is facing trouble in his own backyard, with 24 MPs of his Liberal Party rebelling against him and asking him to step down by Oct 28 or face consequences. The mutiny against Trudeau happened at meeting of the liberal caucus held against the backdrop of a sharp dip in the popularity ratings of Trudeau, according to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

CBC News said anti-Trudeau camp within the Liberal Party issued a signed statement from at least 24 MPs at the caucus where some of them even read out a letter, asking the PM to decide his future course of action by Oct 28 in view of opinion polls giving opposition Conservatives a huge advantage in the next year's parliamentary elections. A poll by the CBC has put Trudeau's party trailing behind Conservatives by a margin of 20%.

Trudeau has been facing criticism from within his party and from the opposition for being silent on Chinese interference in Canadian polls while blaming India without any evidence on the latter's purported meddling in internal affairs. The Canadian PM had recently blamed India for the killing of its citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar , a Khalistani terrorist wanted in India, without providing proof. His anti-India onslaught has been seen by many, including his colleagues, it seems, as a diversionary ploy, meant to distract attention from his inability to stop the slide in the popularity of his government.

According to CBC News, the anti-Trudeau camp within the Liberal caucus have been meeting secretly for weeks to push for his ouster and announce a new leader to lead the party in next year's elections.

The CBC further said that three MPs have publicly stated that they signed a caucus document committing them to making the case for Trudeau's resignation. One of them was even quoted as saying that he'd like to see a secret vote to decide Trudeau's future. However, for a vote against Trudeau in the Liberal caucus, more MPs are needed to come forward to demand a ballot for ouster of the leadership. The dissenters have also discussed voting against the government if there's another no-confidence vote .