By Tony Royden
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, normally a darling of Western media, has been roundly, and sometimes savagely, mocked for a trip to India that included cultural, fashion, and political blunders at every turn.
Trudeau’s trip began to go awry right off the bat. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known for his social-media savvy, did not make any posts welcoming Trudeau, who was greeted off the plane by a low-level agricultural minister.
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On Tuesday, Trudeau’s wife, Sophie, posed for a photo with Jaspal Atwal, a Sikh separatist who was once convicted of trying to assassinate an Indian politician.
Sophie Trudeau and Jaspal Atwal pictured in Mumbai Feb. 20. The Trudeaus attended a business and cultural event in the city that evening celebrating Indian cinema.
Back in Canada, Trudeau’s liberal party has ties to the country’s Sikh community, some of whom support the Khalistan movement, which backs a new Sikh state in India’s Punjab region. When Outlook India magazine pointed this out, it found itself disinvited from a dinner with Trudeau.
“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau feted the world over as the new face of ‘liberalism’ seem to find it difficult to accommodate critical media coverage,” – Outlook India Magazine
Though Trudeau assured India’s government that he didn’t back the separatist movement, Canada’s diplomatic mission had also sent a dinner invitation to Atwal — which it later rescinded.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with India Counterpart, Narendra Modi, six days after his arrival to India in his first ever trip there. Trudeau was mocked for a range of political, cultural, and fashion blunders during his trip to India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not acknowledge his arrival on social media and sent a junior-level agricultural minister to meet him at the airport.
Prominent Indian personalities mocked Trudeau’s dress after the Canadian prime minister showed up at an event full of Bollywood stars in full traditional dress. The movie stars just wore black suits. As his outfit was described as ”fake and annoying”, the revelation that the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi did not acknowledge his arrival on social media, and even sent a junior level agricultural minister to meet him at the airport, deepened the embarrassment for Trudeau.
Earlier in the week, Trudeau’s wife, Sophie, posed for a photo with Jaspal Atwal- a Sikh separatist who was once convicted of trying to assassinate an Indian politician. Mr Trudeau’s trip has been tainted by wide criticism that his government is soft on Sikh extremist. A Delhi dinner invite sent to Jaspal Atwal convicted of trying to assassinate an Indian minister in 1986 was said to have been a mistake
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