All family and no work: Justin Trudeau’s lonely 48 hours in India
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All family and no work: Justin Trudeau’s lonely 48 hours in India

From the moment the Canadian PM landed in New Delhi to his latest trip to Gujarat, Justin Trudeau has faced a series of snubs from Modi govt.

Neera Majumdar    
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with his family during a visit to historic Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad | PTI

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with his family during a visit to historic Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad | PTI

From the moment the Canadian PM landed in New Delhi to his latest trip to Gujarat, Justin Trudeau has faced a series of snubs from Modi govt.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is in India on a week-long trip, has faced a series of snubs from the Narendra Modi government. Many consider Trudeau’s perceived support to Khalistani sympathisers in Canada to be the reason for this treatment.

Here’s a list of all the things Trudeau has done since landing in India.

17 February

Trudeau lands in India

Trudeau along with his wife Sophie and three children land at the Delhi airport and were greeted by the minister of state for agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Indian ambassador to Canada Vikas Swarup.

Many consider this a cold-shoulder treatment by the Indian government and have criticised the move, pointing out how Prime Minister Narendra Modi has personally gone to receive other heads of states at the airport like Israel’s PM Netanyahu, then US President Barack Obama, and UAE crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

On the same day, Modi had met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and inaugurated the fourth container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Mumbai.

18 February

Taj Mahal

Justin Trudeau and his family visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. “For me to be able to be here on an official trip while bringing my kids with me to share this is really special,” Trudeau said after his visit to the monument.

The monument was out of bounds for the public from 9.40 am and 11.40 am for Trudeau’s visit.

Wildlife S.O.S

Trudeau and his family visited Wildlife S.O.S, a wildlife sanctuary, and saw rescued elephants at their Mathura centre. “What an incredible place, with wonderful people doing great things for elephants and for India,” said Trudeau, who with his children also fed some of the elephants.

District magistrate S.R. Mishra and the police chief were present to welcome the 46-year-old PM and his family to Mathura.

Dinner

Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel hosts a dinner for Trudeau and Canadian ministers — Harjit Sajjan, Amarjeet Sohi, Navdeep Bains and Bardish Chagger — who have accompanied him on this trip.

19 February

Arrives in Gujarat

Justin Trudeau and his family arrive in Gujarat.

Though the roads were decorated with billboards of Modi welcoming Trudeau to Gujarat, the Indian PM and chief minister Vijay Rupani were conspicuous by their absence.

This was unusual as Modi has accompanied foreign dignitaries on trips to Gujarat such as Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and Israeli PM Netanyahu.

Sabarmati Ashram

The Trudeaus visited Gandhi’s ashram, greeting the crowd with “Namaste”. The family tried their hand at spinning cotton on a wheel and wrote, “A beautiful place of peace, humility and truth, that is as needed today as it ever was,” in the visitor’s book.

Akshardham Temple, Gandhinagar

The Canadian family took a trip to  Akshardham Temple and met religious leaders and paid homage to Swaminarayan.

Trudeau is scheduled to meet Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and visit the Golden Temple on 21 February, though there is uncertainty about the meet.

Now all eyes are on the 23 February bilateral meet between Justin Trudeau and Narendra Modi.

With inputs from Vinita Tiwari.