Diljit Responds to Naysayers; Mamdani says ‘Will Ask for Kohinoor’

May

2026

Panjabi singer-actor Daljit Singh alias Diljit Dosanjh briefly halted his performance during his ongoing Aura Tour in Calgary, Canada, on 3 May after audience members were seen waving pro-Khalistan flags. Upon noticing the flags, Diljit asked those involved to leave. Diljit said he has consistently used every platform to highlight Panjab's issues and rejected criticism over his appearance on the television quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati (modeled on Who will be a Millionaire?) and bowing to the host Amitabh Bachchan in 2025 after the Panjab floods. Bachchan has long been accused of fanning the 1984 Sikh genocide through provocative sloganeering. Diljit said his intent was to represent Panjab, not personal promotion. He said, 'My job is not to do charity. But whichever platform I go on, I always talk about Panjab. We often say the national media doesn’t talk about Panjab. I went everywhere, including on that channel, for the sake of Panjab. If you still have an issue, jinne jhande dikhane dikhai challo (keep waving how many flags you want to).' Diljit has also been criticized for meeting and bowing to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the question is if an Indian artist gets a call from the PM’s office, can the artist refuse? Especially after a successful, high-earning world tour, when the state can unleash the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax Department, as it does against political rivals. Instead of making music, the artist will spend years in court. Recently, Diljit also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he spoke about Guru Nanak Jahaz, also known as the Komagata Maru incident. Talking about 1914, when Canada didn't allow the ship to dock, he said, ‘Now 55K Panjabis assembled at a stadium in Vancouver, 2 km from the spot. We are here!' Parallelly, during King Charles III's official visit to New York City, the son of Panjabi and Indian immigrants, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, said that if given a private meeting, he would ask the King to return the Kohinoor diamond to India. This raises a question on colonial legacy. The Kohinoor belonged to the Maharaja of greater Panjab Ranjit Singh who ruled from Lahore. When returned, where would it go? To India, to Pakistan, or to East Panjab (earlier coverage).