Indo-Canadian minister embroiled in fresh controversy over Diljit Dosanjh tour

Toronto: Indo-Canadian minister Harjit Sajjan has become the subject of fresh controversy after a media report claimed he had asked 100 soldiers to act as a “backdrop” for a performance in Vancouver in April by Indian entertainer Diljit Dosanjh. The request was rejected by the Canadian Forces, and the denial was relayed to Sajjan’s office by the Department of Defence.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) with Indian singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh before his show in Toronto last month. (Photo: Justin Trudeau/X)

According to the Globe and Mail news agency, Sajjan, the Minister for Emergency Situations, forwarded the request from Dosanjh’s manager Sonali Singh for the soldiers’ presence for the show in Vancouver.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) “have determined that it is not feasible to accommodate this request due to the tight timeline and personnel availability,” the outlet quoted a spokesperson as saying. She added: “Furthermore, it is critical that participation in such events does not impact domestic and international operations, and our operational readiness must be maintained at all times.”

A spokesperson for Sajjan defended the request, saying, “Minister Sajjan agreed that the concert would be a good opportunity for the Canadian Armed Forces to connect with and expand ties to a diverse community of young Canadians, in line with CAF’s outreach and recruitment activities at professional sporting events.”

She also said, “Diljit Dosanjh is the biggest Punjabi artist in the world and was about to make history as the first Punjabi artist to perform a sold-out concert in one of the biggest stadiums in Vancouver.”

Sajjan recently became embroiled in another controversy when the same news outlet revealed that after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021, as then Minister of National Defence he “instructed” special forces carrying out the evacuation of Canadians and others to make the rescue of 225 Sikhs a “priority”.

In an editorial in early July, the Globe and Mail said: “Mr. Sajjan’s actions impeded the evacuation of Canadians and people who were risking their lives to help Canada, and who should have come before anyone else. His mission was to get those people to safety. He jeopardized that mission.”

Sajjan’s office said he had not ordered troops to shift their priorities, but to also consider vulnerable groups such as Sikhs. He also accused the outlet of racism, saying: “I can only assume that if I did not wear a turban, no one would doubt the correctness of my actions.”

Sajjan was appointed Canada’s Minister of National Defence when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party government first came to power in 2015. He served in the post until 2021, when he was replaced by another Indo-Canadian, Anita Anand, after a sexual misconduct crisis came to light during his tenure. The current Minister of National Defence is Bill Blair.

Dosanjh’s Canadian shows, part of his Dil-Luminati tour, began on April 27 at Vancouver’s BC Place venue and drew an audience of over 50,000, a record for a Punjabi artist. It concluded on July 13 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, where Trudeau joined him backstage before the show. Trudeau was criticized in India for identifying himself only as “a man from Punjab” without mentioning his nationality or country of origin.

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