Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is currently in India along with his young family. The liberal, inclusive PM is very popular internationally but in India there is speculation about the rather cold reception he received. Though he is seen to be walking the (Indian) walk and is seen with the top celebrities, there is something amiss. We look at all the reasons Trudeau’s India visit is making news:
The Indian PM has previously received leaders of other countries warmly and personally. By contrast, the Canadian PM was received at the airport by the Indian agriculture minister. This was seen as a huge snub in Indian press.
For detractors of Trudeau at home, this was another stick to beat him with. Many Canadians feel that their leader is an embarrassment and his Indian trip a meaningless failure. “Donald Trump Jr. is getting a warmer reception in India than Justin Trudeau. Let that sink in for a minute,” said one tweet.
The view taken by the Indian press is that Trudeau has indicated his support for Punjabi separatists of Khalistanis and that the frosty reception is the result of this pandering stance. The Canadians are angry that the weeklong trip is rather like a holiday, with barely any official agenda.
The Canadian PM expressed support for a united India. Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh welcomed the assurance that Canada does not support separatist movements.
The Taj Mahal is on every itinerary and Trudeau's was no different. This charming photo at the Taj was tweeted by Trudeau himself who had visited the spot 35 years ago.
The family, dressed in colour coordinated Indian outfits was seen at the Gandhi Ashram as well. However, many Canadians had a problem with what appears to be a leisure visit, with barely any real takeaways for the nation.
Indian as well as Canadian commentators have been critical of the Trudeau family’s Indian outfits; accusing the PM of everything from cultural appropriation to trying too hard. Senior journalist Shekhar Gupta thought that it all looked more like an ad for a clothing showroom than anything else!
Trudeau and his family met with Bollywood A listers such as Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and many others. This reception was a lot warmer than the political one, it was observed. While some thought Trudeau’s outfit was tacky, others thought it was all very charming.
Some commented about the histrionic abilities of politicians and about Indian actors who are actually Canadian citizens.
The trip is aimed at improving bilateral ties between India and Canada. Whether the trip manages to do this or not is not yet clear. As of now, the criticism appears to outweigh anything that poor Justin Trudeau may or may not achieve!
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