New Delhi: Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on New Year’s Day has faced sharp criticism from protesting farmer leaders, The Times of India reported.
In Frame: Diljit Dosanjh and PM Modi
Expressing disappointment over Diljit Dosanjh’s meeting, who earlier extended support to the farmers’ movement, the farmers questioned the singer’s commitment to the cause. The PM lauded Diljit’s rise from “humble beginnings to international stardom,” while Diljit Dosanjh called his encounter with Modi a “fantastic start” to the new year.
“If Diljit truly cared about farmers, he would have come and joined us in solidarity with Dallewal Ji at Sambhu Border, listened to our concerns, and stood by his earlier statements. Instead, meeting PM Modi raises doubts about his intentions,” ToI quoted as a farmer leader at the border as saying.
Diljit Dosanjh backed the farmers’ protest in 2020, calling on the Center to listen to their requests and supporting their cause.
The same year, Diljit Dosanjh posted in support of the farmers on Instagram: “25 September. We all will stand with the farmer community. Every single person of all age groups from Punjab is standing with the farmers. Everyone who is defending the bill, at least try to talk to the farmers. Punjabi language has been eradicated from Government languages in Jammu and Kashmir. What is happening?”
Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has been fasting to death at the Khanouri border in an effort to persuade the Center to grant farmers’ demands, which include a legally mandated minimum support price (MSP) guarantee for crops.
To support him, thousands of farmers and numerous tractor-trolleys have assembled at the Khanauri site. Dallewal has refused to seek medical assistance despite efforts by the Punjab administration to persuade him to do so.
The Punjab government has been directed by the Supreme Court to protect Dallewal’s health and abide by its directives about his hospitalization.
Insights into Diljit’s meeting with PM Modi
PM Modi praised Diljit for his accomplishments during their New Year’s Day meeting on Wednesday, saying, “When a boy from a small village in ‘Hindustan’ shines on the global stage, it feels amazing. Your family named you Diljit, and you keep on winning people’s hearts, just as your name suggests.”
Diljit replied, “We used to read that ‘Mera Bharat Mahan’ (My India is great), but when I travelled across India, I realised why people say this.”