Canadian PM Justin Trudeau was recently criticised for his reference to singer Diljit Dosanjh as a "guy from Punjab". Terming the 'Punjabi' remark as a "deliberate mischief", Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said he should have mentioned "Indian singer".
On Sunday, Trudeau had shared the photo of visiting Dosanjh ahead of his concert at Toronto's Rogers Centre. While posting the photo, Trudeau wrote "Canada is a great country -a guy from Punjab can make history and sell out stadiums."
In a social media post, Sirsa corrected Trudeau and said, "Let me correct this, Mr. Prime Minister- where one guy from INDIA can make history and sell out stadiums."
"Your gesture of lauding a fantastic artist like @diljitdosanjh has been totally overshadowed by your deliberate mischief through wordplay,” he added.
Sirsa also said that it was indeed a proud moment to see Trudeau attending the concert venue before the event and taking a picture with him.
“I was proud to see an Indian, a Punjabi artist, achieve such recognition that the Prime Minister came to see him. However, Trudeau marred his good gesture by not identifying this artist as Indian. The Prime Minister’s post is dignified, and he should have maintained that dignity,” said Sirsa.
While posting a video of Trudeau visiting the venue and grooving to the music, Dosanjh wrote, "Diversity is Canada's strength. Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau came to check out history in the making: we sold out the Rogers Centre!"
Dosanjh made history by becoming the first Punjabi artist to make headline concerts in both Canadian stadiums -- Vancouver's BC Place and Toronto's Rogers Centre.
Dosanjh has received global recognition over the past few years. He had recently made waves in the US with a performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. He was the first Punjabi artist to perform at Coachella 2023.
The relations between India and Canada have been strained after Trudeau alleged New Delhi's involvement in the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.