In an unexpected appearance at the Rogers Centre, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended an event that was headlined by the renowned Punjabi singer and actor, Diljit Dosanjh.
Trudeau praised Dosanjh, who is recently creating headlines with his 'Dil-Luminati' tour, for his achievements.The duo, accompanied by Dosanjh's team, shared enthusiastic moments, with Trudeau even joining in on the cheer, "Punjabi aa gaye oye" (Punjabis are here).
Sharing a picture of their meeting, Trudeau posted on X, "Stopped by the Rogers Centre to wish Diljit Dosanjh good luck before his show. Canada is a great country — one where a guy from Punjab can make history and sell out stadiums. Diversity isn’t just our strength. It’s a super power."
Stopped by the Rogers Centre to wish @diljitdosanjh good luck before his show.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 14, 2024
Canada is a great country — one where a guy from Punjab can make history and sell out stadiums. Diversity isn’t just our strength. It’s a super power. pic.twitter.com/EYhS0LEFFl
Dosanjh responded with a tweet of his own: "Diversity is Canada‘s strength. Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau came to check out history in the making: we sold out the Rogers Centre!"
Diversity is ‘s strength. Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau came to check out history in the making: we sold out the Rogers Centre! pic.twitter.com/vyIKlvvplM
— DILJIT DOSANJH (@diljitdosanjh) July 14, 2024
Dosanjh's 'Dil-Luminati' tour was a remarkable success, culminating in a sold-out performance at the Rogers Centre, which accommodates around 50,000 people. The tour, which began on Apr.28, also saw Dosanjh sharing the stage with global music star Ed Sheeran and appearing on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."
Diljit Dosanjh remains a prominent figure in both the Hindi and Punjabi film industries and continues to be a leading artist in the Punjabi music scene, celebrated for his contributions and widespread appeal.
PM Trudeau's post sparked controversy as many felt the Prime Minister's reference to Dosanjh as "a guy from Punjab" was inappropriate, arguing that he should have been acknowledged as an Indian artist. One user commented, "This guy is from India. We see what you're doing. Fuelling the Khalistani agenda of your Khalistani separatist voter base in Canada to stay in power."
The backlash comes amid already strained relations between India and Canada, which have been tense since Trudeau's allegations of the potential involvement of Indian agents in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in September last year.
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login