Justin Trudeau in India: Is he being snubbed by PM Modi as Canadian PM visits Modi’s home state?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomacy is not hidden from the world, whether it’s wishing birthdays to world leaders in their native language – to accompany the same from the airport. He had done the same with Xi Jinping, Shinzo Abe and Benjamin Netanyahu, and, in-a-way, broke the protocols during the same. But this time, he seems to follow the protocols while the Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau, who will be visiting Gujarat, will not be accompanied by the PM.

Justin Trudeau will meet PM Modi on Friday for bilateral talks in Delhi.

According to NDTV, sources have dismissed speculation mostly in the Canadian media, that PM Modi’s absence is a snub for Justin Trudeau amid India’s concerns over Sikh radicalism in Canada and support for a separate Khalistan state.

The Prime Minister need not accompany a visiting dignitary everywhere, say sources; he was not present even when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Hyderabad on Friday.

When prominent dignitaries have visited his home state Gujarat, PM Modi escorted them more often than not.

Justin Trudeau’s day plan includes the traditional tour for visiting world leaders – the Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar and Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram.

PM Modi had accompanied Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last year and Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014 during their visits to his home state.

What is seen by observers as more unusual is that the Prime Minister, one of the world’s most social-media savvy leaders, has not tweeted even once on the Canadian Prime Minister’s visit since he arrived on Saturday with his wife and three children.