Trudeau apparently snubbed by Indian PM Modi on 1st state visit
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began a week-long state visit to India on Saturday night, but social media users were quick to point out the frosty reception he has received from the Indian prime minister.
Trudeau and his family were welcomed on the tarmac by the Indian minister of state for agriculture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, rather than by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For context, Modi has personally greeted leaders from the US, the UAE, and Israel on their respective state visits.
On official state visits to India, PM Modi personally greets and welcomes the Israeli PM, UAE Crown Prince and US President. For PM Trudeau, he sends a low-ranking official. “Canada is back” pic.twitter.com/ezsMtFTPzr
— Candice Malcolm (@CandiceMalcolm) February 17, 2018
The short @HassanRouhani visit is politically, diplomatically, commercially & strategically much more important than Trudeau’s week-long travels. Yet glamour will get him far more media https://t.co/WIPI5hkdsB
— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) February 18, 2018
Sharing my remarks at the joint press meet with President @HassanRouhani. https://t.co/5mTIKgFTUspic.twitter.com/CAstQi1Opk
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 17, 2018
The message is clear at the airport : India sent minister of state for agriculture to invite Trudeau . That’s like a parl sec in Canada ! Don’t think anyone so junior ever been sent to ANY foreign leader ! Wow. That’s how bad Canada -India relations are now . pic.twitter.com/kIOQILcRNk
— Vijay Sappani (@VJsapps) February 17, 2018
However, one user highlighted that this may not be that unusual, and that diplomatic protocol doesn’t necessarily call for such an official welcome.
Except obama, Israeli PM and UAE crown prince broke protocol and personally greeted indian PM at the airport during his visit to the respective countries. Nothing unusual if he reciprocated it back by personally receiving them.#Trudeau#JustinTrudeau
— Shantanu Kandwal (@KandwalShantanu) February 18, 2018
Trudeau’s visit is ostensibly aimed at improving ties between the two nations, with a particular emphasis on trade, given that they exchange $8 billion of goods a year. Trade between the two countries has doubled in the last 10 years, but India’s Foreign Ministry says that figure still “does not reflect [their] true potential.”
Looking at the gleeful #Trudeau family at #TajMahal and a deeper look at his agenda in India, it looks more like a nice week long #familyvacation than an official visit, thats what you get for supporting #Khalistan#TrudeauInIndia@TarekFatah@sushantsareen@MakrandParanspe
— dhaivat mehta (@mehta_dhaivat) February 18, 2018
Trudeau is lucky he didn’t have to call Uber #KhalistanlovingPM#TrudeauInIndiahttps://t.co/3Xsc6lR0RF
— Neha Jamwal (@nehajamwal007) February 18, 2018
It also marks the Canadian PM’s first visit to India since taking office in 2015, despite the fact that 1.4 million Indians currently reside in Canada, making up roughly three percent of the country’s total population. Trudeau, accompanied by Sikh members of his cabinet, is scheduled to meet Modi in his home state of Gujarat on Monday to discuss issues such as civil nuclear cooperation, space, defense, energy, and education. However, allegations have been leveled against members of the Canadian cabinet of supporting violent separatists in India.
#Trudeau seems to be viewed in #India with about the same enthusiasm as malarian mosquito
— Bill Tufts (@BillTufts) February 17, 2018
#Trudeau deserves this welcome. His and his parties views on Punjab/ Khalistan are wrong and provocative. @narendramodi shouldn’t even be meeting him... @CandiceMalcolmhttps://t.co/s6kzEu85ss
— Varun Nayyar (@varunbangalore) February 18, 2018
READ MORE: Trudeau actually corrects woman to say ‘peoplekind’ instead of ‘mankind’ (VIDEO)
“There seems to be evidence that there are Khalistani sympathizers in Trudeau's cabinet,” Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh told Outlook India magazine earlier this month, as cited by The National Post. Both Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan and Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, two of four Sikhs in Trudeau’s cabinet, vehemently denied the allegations. Sikh separatists have pushed for an independent state for decades, which will place Trudeau in an awkward position during his visit to the Golden Temple, the holiest site in Sikhism, and the scene of a massacre of Sikh separatists in 1984.
Modi visited Canada in 2015 and gave a speech to 10,000 members of the Indian diaspora in Toronto.
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