There are a lot of jokes about how Canada has more Sardars than Punjab. Sardars, of course, are often the unfortunate, yet mostly sporting, targets of satire. So, one appreciates the sacrifice of Justin Trudeau for turning the target on himself instead. He hurled an accusation at India in front of the whole world and now won’t back it up. Like a decision that was referred to the 3rd umpire, but the screen is just showing a “We’ll get back to you”. There was much outrage and jokes about this. It’s not like our government would ever target anyone like that.
Then, there was news that Justin’s plane was stuck in India because only in India can even a prime minister’s plane get stuck in traffic. But apparently, it was trafficking of a different kind, as rumours fly about the plane being full of cocaine and Justin being as high as Ranveer Singh. On the bright side, if he randomly broke out in Bhangra in a G7 meeting, people would just presume he is letting his inner Punjabi play out. It’s not like Punjab has a drug problem.
He is famously known to have supported Covid lockdowns and the Punjabification of Canada. His government was recently embarrassed when it was discovered that the Canadian Parliament was actually honouring a Nazi war criminal from Ukraine. This caused a lot of outrage and jokes. It’s not like criminals become politicians in India.
When quizzed by the New York Times in an interview on the mood of Canadians, he said “People are mad”. Was he referring to the people who voted for him? The wildfires in his life seem to be exceeding the ones we saw in Canada earlier. A similar wildfire is raging in the price of housing in Canada, which means, “we no longer have good homes to post on Instagram and make desi relatives back home jealous,” said Silky Satwinder Satsriyakal from Vancouver.
A spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs accused Canada of being “a safe haven for terrorists, for extremists and for organised crime”. Luckily, they refrained from accusing INDIA of the same thing. India on the other hand is also in the process of cancelling the OCI or Overseas Citizenship of India for those alleged to be indulging in Khalistani activities. This is different from “Khaali Sthaan” activities, also known as TikTokers on Marine Drive. While there is opposition to the former, cancellation of citizenship for the latter has widespread public support... especially on Instagram.
There were furious debates online that the Indian diplomatic response will result in many NRI weddings getting stuck. Which means, for a change, our government would have actually done something right for its citizens. Which is less than what the Canadians can say for Justin. From a gushing fanbase in the liberal left to a ship that is gushing from everywhere, Justin Untrudeau is the true anti-thesis of the Canadian Mountie hero – Dudley Do No Right.
The author, Vikram Poddar, is a Marwari investment banker turned corporate comedian. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the website.
