Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently shared a video featuring his visits to temples and interaction with Hindu community to celebrate Diwali.
“Happy Diwali! So many special moments shared celebrating with the community this week,” he said, sharing the video on X.
Trudeau showed religious threads on his wrist and said, “I got these bracelets when I was in three different Hindu temples over the past few months. They are good luck. They’re, yeah, protection”
“I’m not taking them off till they fall off,” he later added in the video.
Trudeau was also seen engaging warmly with members of the community, enjoying traditional Indian sweets like jalebis in the video.
This festive celebration occurs against the backdrop of escalating diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, following the killing of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Canada accusing “Indian government’s hand in it”, which has strained relations between the two nations.
Earlier on Friday, Trudeau extended his Diwali wishes, highlighting the significance of the festival. “Today, we join millions of people in Canada and around the world to celebrate Diwali,” his statement read. He highlighted the celebration of light over darkness, saying, “Today, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain families will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with festivities, candles, diyas, and fireworks. Wishing you all joy and prosperity during this special time.”
Meanwhile, the ministry of external affairs in India expressed disappointment over a troubling trend of intolerance and extremism in Canada after the opposition leader Pierre Poilievre’s decision to cancel the Diwali celebrations at Parliament Hill.