Justin Trudeau met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning – the only high-level engagement of his eight-day trip to India.
The pair embraced on the red carpet outside the Presidential Palace in New Delhi, seven days after Modi avoided meeting the Canadian Prime Minister at the airport when his plane initially landed.
That move has been widely interpreted as a snub over Trudeau’s perceived support for Sikh separatist groups, though Modi officially denies it.
Justin Trudeau was embraced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside the Presidential Palace in New Delhi on Friday morning
The intimate moment between the two men came after Modi failed to welcome Trudeau to India when he arrived on Saturday in a move widely regarded as a snub
The Canadian Prime Minister met with his Indian counterpart in the only high-level engagement of his eight-day trip to the country
Trudeau had to hastily cancel a dinner invite for a former member of a banned separatist group on Thursday in a fresh blow to his image.
Jaspal Atwal, who tried to murder an Indian minister on Canadian soil back in 1986, had been due to dine alongside Trudeau at a dinner hosted by the Canadian High Commissioner.
The Prime Minister said he had no idea an invite had been extended to Atwal and withdrew it as soon as he was made aware.
In a further embarrassing blow, images then emerged of Atwal posing with Trudeau’s wife Sophie at an event in Bollywood on Tuesday night.
Trudeau has received a deeply mixed reception in India, with some flattered by his visit, but others deeply scornful of his preening for the cameras and especially his traditional outfits – which have been described as ‘tacky’ and ‘annoying’.
Modi has officially denied snubbing Trudeau, and on Thursday issued a tweet saying he was excited to meet him and his family
Trudeau, his wife Sophie, and children Xavier, Hadrien and Ella-Grace pose with Modi outside the Presidential Palace in New Delhi
High-level politicians have largely avoided Trudeau during his visit to India over his perceived support for Sikh separatists
While many praised his clothing during the first two days of his trip, patience was wearing thin by the time he attended a Bollywood gala on Tuesday night, before the tide turned against him on Wednesday.
Ministers, authors, journalists and ordinary Indians lined up to mock him, saying his wardrobe made him look as if he was about to attend a wedding.
Leading the criticism was Omar Abdullah, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, who tweeted saying Trudeau’s preening was ‘all just a bit much.’
‘We Indians do not dress like this every day sir, not even in Bollywood.’
While Indian newspapers had initially praised Trudeau’s attempt to cross cultural boundaries – describing the red kurta he wore on the first day of his visit as ‘resplendent’ and ‘festive’ – by Wednesday they lost patience as well.
Trudeau has also been widely mocked for his traditional outfit choices while in the country, with many suggesting it looks as if he has been attending a wedding
The outfit that seemed to cause most offence was this golden number he wore on Tuesday to meet Bollywood stars, with newspapers describing it as ‘tacky’
Trudeau donned traditional Sikh dress on Wednesday when he visited the Golden Temple
‘Too flashy even for an Indian’, proclaimed Outlook India while The Print suggested that he looked like he was auditioning to be a model.
The tipping point seemed to come when Trudeau met the great and good of Bollywood, whose looks arguably inspired some of his own.
But while the actors dressed down for the occasion, opting largely for black suits and shirts, Trudeau went all-out with a gaudy golden number.
India Today described the choice of clothing as ‘tacky’, suggesting it was insulting to his guests.
High-level politicians have also largely steered clear of Trudeau during his visit, and he has spent much of it trying to shake off the perception that his administration is a soft touch on extremists.
During a visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest site in Sikhism, he assured Punjab’s chief minister that Canada does not sympathise with extremist movements.
Canada is home to roughly half a million Sikhs and Trudeau’s administration has been accused of being too cosy with those agitating for a separate homeland in India’s northern Punjab state.
Trudeau particularly riled New Delhi last year when he attended a parade in Canada at which Sikh militants were feted as heroes.