Canadian PM draws Indian ire by wishing ‘Diwali Mubarak’

OTTAWA – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to wish everyone a happy Diwali, and suddenly came in the line of fire of several users from India for his choice of words.

‘Diwali Mubarak’, Trudeau greeted his 3.71 million followers, with a picture of himself in a black sherwani, lighting a lamp.

“Diwali Mubarak! We’re celebrating in Ottawa tonight. #HappyDiwali!” reads the caption of the image that has been retweeted nearly 800 times and ‘liked’ by 3.5K users.

PM Trudeau was instantly criticised for using the word ‘Mubarak’ that Indian say has its origins in ‘Arabic’. He was asked to correct his mistake:

There were also some who thought the criticism was unnecessary and that the spirit of the festival should be enjoyed:

The festival of Diwali marks the return of Hindu Lord Rama to Ayodhya city in northern India after he defeated Ravana – the powerful demon king of Lanka – to rescue his wife Sita.

On Diwali, people light fireworks and illuminate their houses with different types of lights.

This year, Diwali will be celebrated on October 19 across India.

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