PM Modi said ‘humse badi galti ho gayi, aapko bhej diya’: US-based NRI Darshan Singh Dhaliwal

“He apologised to me in front of 150 people over the fact that I was sent back and added ‘humse badi galti ho gayi, aapko bhej diya, par aapka bahut bada badappan hai jo aap humare kehne pe phir bhi aa gaye (Sending you back was a big mistake on our part, but you have shown magnanimity by still showing up on my request)’,” Dhaliwal told The Indian Express.

The meeting was attended by Sikh businessmen from across the world, he said. According to a statement issued by the PMO on April 29, 2022, addressing the delegation, Modi hailed the contribution of the Sikhs, saying the community has acted as a strong link in “cementing ties between India and other countries.”

Dhaliwal was put on a return flight to the US on the night of October 23-24, 2021. Recalling the incident, he said that at the airport, the authorities gave him two choices. “I was told to either stop the langar and mediate with the farmers or go back. I was given two choices,” he said.

He said the langar was a humanitarian gesture on his part. “The issue was that I had a langar. In December (2020), when the farmers came to Delhi, it started raining in the middle of the night. I saw the videos, they were sleeping in the water, it was cold. I felt these people needed help. So I decided to put up a langar and provide tents to stay, give charpoys (beds), blankets and razais (quilts),” said Dhaliwal, who runs a chain of fuel stations across the US.

Asked if he also supported the political cause of the protesting farmers, Dhaliwal said, “It was humanitarian, it had nothing to do with politics. I did it for the people.”

He said the government’s decision to make his entry into India conditional did not bother him at that point. “When I was sent back, it did not bother me that much. I thought this is what destiny is, they sent me back for some reason though I did not know the reason, and today they are honouring me with the highest award… Bhagwan ki daya hai (It is God’s grace),” he said.

Dhaliwal, who migrated to the US in 1972 to pursue engineering, said he visits India three to four times every year. “After I got my degree, I did not wish to work for anyone else, so I got into my own business… Over the years, I have received several awards from the Punjab government. This is the first one from the Union government,” he said.