US-based billionaire Darshan Dhaliwal, who was conferred with the ‘Pravasi Bhartiya Samman’ on Tuesday, clarified that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not apologise to him after some media reports claimed that the PM has “apologised” over his deportation from India in 2021 for allegedly supporting the farmers’ protest against the now-repealed three agriculture laws.
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“Elders never apologise. PM Modi is a man of big stature, and I respect him a lot. He said it’s my big heart that despite once being sent back, I came to India,” Dhaliwal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Stressing recognition of the Indian diaspora in a foreign land, he added, “It’s an honour for me to get felicitated with ‘Pravasi Bhartiya Award’…50 years ago people in foreign countries didn’t know about us but now India has become one of the world’s biggest power.”
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Some media reports had claimed that Dhaliwal was deported on the night of October 23, 2021, for allegedly arranging a langar for protesting farmers at Delhi’s borders.
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) is conferred by the President as part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention on non-resident Indians (NRIs), persons of Indian origin (PIOs) or organisations established and run by NRIs or PIOs in recognition of their outstanding achievements in India and abroad.
The 17th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was held at Indore in Madhya Pradesh during January 8-10. The awards were conferred by the President during the valedictory session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations.
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