It triggered dissent among farmers due to Diljit Dosanjh’s meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently and they asked him where he was when they were protesting. Diljit mentioned that the meeting was a great start for this New Year as Modi congratulating him for going from “Small beginning to global icon”. However, farmers said that new singer-actor was not quite so committed to their fight as the previous ones.
A farmer leader present at the Sambhu Border said, “If Diljit wanted to show that he cares he would have stood here with Dallewal Ji and listened to our grievances.” Such a meeting gives room for questioning Modi’s intents.”
Diljit’s Stand with Farmers in 2020
Besides, in the course of the farmers’ protest in 2020, Diljit actively supported protesters, called on the government to fulfill the farmers’ requirements. He had posted on Instagram, coming in support of farmers and had raised issues like Punjabi language not being an official language in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, the farmers who, at one point formed a united front are now feeling let down. Its current fight, spearheaded by Jagjit Singh Dallewal of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) includes the call for legal entitlements of MSP. Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanouri border and thousands of farmers are accompanying him. Though the Punjab government has requested Dallewal to agree to receive medical attention, he has not done so, and therefore, the Supreme Court is intervening to check on his health.
Diljit-PM Modi Meeting
At the New Year’s Day meet, PM Modi appreciated Diljit for promoting India Internationally, and Diljit spoke about Modi’s struggle story. This is because Diljit’s comment on “Mera Bharat Mahan” and Modi being a human being were different from the farmers’ complains and made them doubt his support for their struggle.
An important aspect of the controversy is the rivalry between the sporadic celebrity reflections and mass protest actions, where the problem of perception is particularly acute.
