By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--September 14, 2023
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When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his entire family showed up in India, gadding about decked out in traditional Indian attire, BBC headlined a story: ‘Justin Trudeau's 'Bollywood' wardrobe amuses Indians’.
That was back on Feb. 22, 2018. Now that he’s back in India disgracing himself with his 16-year-old son, Xavier as a tag along, (Where are you ‘Instagram-Separated’ Mother Sophie?!) Trudeau, the modern-day Emperor With No Clothes, has done anything but “amuse” the Indian government, media and people.
“For the second time in his tenure, an official trip to India by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has become defined by a cascading series of gaffes, snubs and diplomatic embarrassments. (National Post, 12, 2023)
“Trudeau’s India Agony,” was how India’s Hindustan Times summed up the visit. The English-language NewsX cable channel, meanwhile, ran a nine-minute segment denouncing Trudeau as an ignorant hypocrite.
“Like any good Punjabi I have family in Canada, and I promise you that the nonsense that you’re talking is emanating from sheer hubris,” said anchor Rishabh Gulati. “What do we do with this man?”said one Indian news anchor during an extended rant against the Canadian leader.
“Tension was even present in the typically bland official communiques issued by the Indian government. After a short meeting between Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement saying that Modi spent most of the encounter reprimanding Trudeau for allegedly letting Canada become a safe haven for secessionist extremists. (National Post)
“They are … inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship,” it read.
“And all of this was before Trudeau’s aircraft broke down, stranding the Canadian delegation in New Delhi until a rescue plane could be dispatched from CFB Trenton.
“Trudeau’s turbulent India trip refuses to end,” wrote India Today.
“Trudeau had come to New Delhi for the G20 summit, and keen observers of the event alleged that India’s frosty treatment of Trudeau started right at the airport. The Canadian prime minister was picked up in an older Toyota Land Cruiser, while other world leaders got newer model Audis and Mercedes.”
Nor could Trudeau throw one of his typical tyrannical temper tantrums with his eldest son in tow.
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“The chilly atmosphere appeared to be swiftly reciprocated by Trudeau. In a memorial service for Indian nationalist leader Mohandas Gandhi, Trudeau noticeably pulled away when Modi tried to grasp his hand. Questioned about the recoil by reporters, Trudeau said people could read whatever symbolism into the action that they wanted.” (National Post)
So typical of the arrogance Trudeau typically shows to any who dare disagree with his thinking.
“And while Modi conducted lengthy bilateral meetings with the likes of Japan and the U.K., Trudeau was only granted what Indian observers referred to as a “pull aside” meeting. The official Canadian portrait of the meeting — posted to Trudeau’s Instagram — shows both leaders facing away from each other with mutual deep scowls. (National Post)
“Canada was also conspicuously absent from Modi’s launch of the Global Biofuels Alliance — a snub all the more notable for the fact that Canadian grain underlies a disproportionate amount of the world’s renewable fuels.
“The tense relations between India and the Trudeau government are driven almost entirely by the issue of Khalistan, a Sikh secessionist movement that seeks to calve off the Indian state of Punjab.
“Canadian expat communities have long been seen by the Indian government as a hotbed for Khalistani extremism, most notably after the 1985 Air India bombing was planned and perpetrated by Khalistani terrorists based in British Columbia.
“These suspicions have not been helped by a series of recent Khalistani protests outside Indian diplomatic missions in Canada, including one in Toronto whose official poster featured the phrase “kill India” and referred to Indian diplomats as “killers.” A recent parade in Brampton, Ont., also featured a float celebrating the 1984 assassination of Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.
“Following Modi’s demands to crack down on radical Khalistani actions, Trudeau told reporters in New Delhi that while Canada was “always there” to prevent violence, he would defend “freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and peaceful protest.”
“It was this phrase in particular that incensed Indian commentators, who accused Trudeau of hypocrisy given his government’s hardline actions against anti-mandate blockades in early 2022. (National Post)
And this from a prime minister who froze the bank accounts of truckers in the 2022 Freedom Convoy who protested peacefully in Ottawa against his COVID 19 mandates, and has now caused a 16-day trial against Convoy leaders, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber.
“As the Canadian delegation remained stranded in New Delhi on Sunday, Trudeau’s domestic opponents used the abortive Indian trip to obliquely criticize the current state of Canadian foreign policy. (National Post)
“Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre — who had just concluded a triumphant party convention in Quebec City held amid surging Tory poll numbers — marked the India trip with a uniquely backhanded social media post.
“Putting partisanship aside, no one likes to see a Canadian prime minister repeatedly humiliated & trampled upon by the rest of the world,” he wrote."
Some of us wouldn’t count on that, Mr. Poilievre, being too frustrated that because Trudeau bought off a majority of the Canadian media, and that it took the India media to show what and who the Canadian Prime Minister truly is.
“The G20 is the second time that Trudeau has made an official visit to India as prime minister, and with similar results to the first. (National Post)
“Trudeau’s visit to the country in 2018 was widely lampooned by Indians due to the Canadian prime minister repeatedly dressing in over-the-top Indian garb at photo ops.
“While Trudeau was more diplomatic about addressing Indian concerns over Khalistani extremism on the 2018 visit, the trip would feature Canada inviting a man to an official Mumbai event who had been convicted in connection with a Khalistani terror plot.
Justin Trudeau's 'Bollywood' wardrobe amuses Indians (BBC, Feb. 22, 2018)
“The Canadian first family has worn traditional Indian outfits no fewer than three times on their trip so far.
“The first time was while they visited the Sabarmati ashram, the residence of Mahatma Gandhi in the western state of Gujarat. The family, wearing colourful casual kurta shirts and garlands of flowers around their necks, posed in front of a traditional spinning wheel before visiting the Akshardam temple where they posed some more with bemused Indian trustees."
“Indian media published pictures of the family, commenting on their "festive" and "resplendent" traditional attire with headlines like "Trudeau's day out".(BBC)
"They wore more sober but no less elaborate outfits when they visited the Golden Temple, one of the holiest shrines for Sikhs, located in the northern state of Punjab. Mr Trudeau wore a white sherwani with gold thread work, while the rest of his family also had a strong gold theme running through their clothes.
"They posed for pictures with heads appropriately bowed and hands folded before Mr Trudeau met Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh who looked visibly underdressed in comparison.
"At this point, some people were beginning to notice a trend and were not quite sure it all worked, including the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah.
“But Mr Trudeau was by no means done.
"His family met several Bollywood stars in the western city of Mumbai and he wore an elaborate and heavily worked sherwani, more in tune with what a bridegroom would wear...in a Bollywood film. His wife wore an embroidered sari and his children were also decked out in what can only be described as Indian wedding wear.
“The outfits stood out all the more because the Bollywood stars around him - who should perhaps take the blame for his wardrobe decisions - were in sober black suits.
“And social media just could not stand by in polite silence anymore:
“So far, Mr Trudeau has seemed unfazed by the slew of criticism that has dogged his Indian trip. His office has denied that he is being "snubbed" by the Indian government, and they have brushed off accusations that he is on a "holiday" at state expense.
Mr. Trudeau is increasingly unfazed by criticism because he longs for publicity, it says here.
“But his sartorial sense - or the lack of it - has provided enough amusement to Indians. ()
Thank You, India for pointing out the hypocrisy of our feminist-identifying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Know that millions of Canadians stopped being amused by him a long, long time ago.
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