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Days after his India tour was cancelled following backlash over an old post, Canada-based Punjabi singer Shubhneet Singh, who goes by the stage name Shubh, took to social media to say that he was "extremely disheartened."
Shubh's tour was cancelled by BookMyShow on Wednesday, 20 September, after the platform faced boycott calls sparked by the singer sharing a distorted map of India on Instagram in March, with Jammu and Kashmir and parts of north-east India covered with a shadow and "Pray for Punjab" written alongside it.
He also said that he was "amped up" and "enthusiastic" to perform "in front of my people".
Shubh further explained that his intention was only to offer prayers for Punjab, which was facing electricity shutdowns at the time. He said that he did not have any intention of offending anybody or hurting their feelings.
Meanwhile, Indo Canadian singer AP Dhillon took to social media and expressed his disappointment in a cryptic post, alleging that political groups constantly use the public image of singers as a "chess piece" to "further their agenda".
"I try to stay out of all the social mania as it is clear to me that regardless of what I say or do, it is a lost cause. Someone, somewhere is going to spin the narrative to their liking and create more division," he said.
A message posted from the account of late Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala expressed solidarity with Shubh, saying that while the latter had "benevolent" intentions, his post "ignited a torrent of national animosity."
"In recent weeks we have observed a growing sense of tension within our Sikh community. Being a minority in India is undoubtedly a challenging experience. The animosity directed towards our community appears to be politically motivated," he said.
The message further added:
The backlash against Shubh comes at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a major stand-off, following the latter's allegations that New Delhi was involved in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil earlier this year.
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