Nationalism card at play, parties follow BJP lead in backing Diljit Dosanjh
Diljit Dosanjh
, under fire for his film "Sardar Ji 3" starring Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, leaders of other parties from Punjab have also voiced support for him.
Initially, leaders from parties other than the BJP appeared hesitant to publicly support Dosanjh, arguably Punjab's most prominent singer since Sidhu Moose Wala, as the "nationalism card", especially the Pakistan angle post-Pahalgam terror attack, was played against him.
BJP national spokesperson R P Singh was the first to defend Dosanjh, posting his support late at night on May 27.
Singh, who described Dosanjh as "a national asset and a global ambassador of Indian culture", received both praise and criticism for his stance.
On June 28, Punjab BJP leader and prominent Punjabi film actor Hobby Dhaliwal held a press conference at the Punjab BJP state office to express solidarity with him. On Wednesday, former BJP MP Hans Raj Hans, an accomplished and prominent Punjabi singer, also expressed solidarity with Diljit.
After BJP took the lead, Punjab Congress and AAP leaders also spoke up in his support. Leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira, and MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa expressed solidarity with Dosanjh on their social media accounts.
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Randhawa on Thursday said that he was being targeted due to his Sikh and Punjabi identity.
Among AAP leaders, Sonia Mann was an early supporter, speaking up around the same time as BJP leaders. Then Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Punjab speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan were the prominent leaders who spoke up.
Shiromani Akali Dal discussed the issue in the party's core committee meeting on June 30 and expressed solidarity with the singer. The party held that Dosanjh was being unfairly targeted and called for an end to the "politics of hate".
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