Aman Gupta’s boAt ends sponsorship for Canadian singer Shubh’s tour
Aman Gupta’s electronics brand boAt has announced the withdrawal of its sponsorship from the upcoming tour of Canadian singer Shubneet Singh, popularly known as Shubh, over his alleged controversial statements. The decision comes even as India and Canada expelled senior diplomats from each other’s countries over a pro-Khalistani leader murder in June.
‘We are a true Indian brand’: boAt
In an official statement shared on social media, boAt said they are calling off the deal because of the singer’s controversial statements that were seen as supporting Khalistan.
“At boAt, while our commitment to the incredible music community runs deep, we are first & foremost a true Indian brand. Therefore, when we became aware of the remarks made by artist Shubh earlier this year, we chose to withdraw our sponsorship from the tour,” the company said.
Shubh has concerts scheduled from September 23 to 25 aboard Cordelia Cruises in Mumbai. Shubh boasts approximately 2.8 million subscribers on YouTube, and his debut album, “Still Rollin,” garnered an impressive 100 million streams on Spotify in under two months.
He is on a three-month-long tour – ‘Still Rollin India Tour’, starting this week. It includes cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad.
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What is the controversy related to Shubh?
The controversy surrounding Shubh escalated when he shared a social media post featuring a distorted map of India, omitting Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. This action sparked outrage, particularly as it occurred during a period when Punjab Police was searching for fugitive Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh.
India and Canada diplomatic ties worsen
Tensions between India and Canada further deteriorated after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian government agents of having a “potential link” to the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June. India swiftly rejected these accusations, labelling them as “baseless.”
In response, Canadian foreign minister Mélanie Joly announced the expulsion of a “top Indian diplomat” from Canada. In a tit-for-tat move, India announced the expulsion of a senior Canadian diplomat. These diplomatic actions add to the ongoing controversy surrounding Shubh and his alleged support for Khalistan.
