The renowned Canada-based Punjabi sensation  Shubh is in the eye of a storm ahead of his electrifying Mumbai concert from September 23 to 25 for the Cruise Control 4.0 tour. While fans were eagerly waiting for his three-month Indian tour with gigs in hotspots like New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, Shubh is stuck in controversy and is facing some backlash over alleged ties with Khalistani separatists. This controversy surrounding the singer came after the singer posted a distorted photo of the Indian map that did not have seven sisters and Jammu and Kashmir. All this has led to a significant public debate over his alleged associations and actions, especially in regard to the sensitive issue of Khalistan separatism.

Shubh: The singer 

The artist first gained recognition with his 2021 song ‘We Rollin’, which earned him fans among the Punjabi diaspora in India, Canada, the UK, the US, and New Zealand. His track ‘Baller’ also secured the No. 68 spot on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. He kicked off 2021 with ‘Don’t Look’, co-produced alongside Punjabi pop singer Irman Thiara. This was followed by his hit ‘We Rollin’, which remains his most-played track. He then released ‘Elevated’ and ‘Offshore’. Earlier this year, his debut album ‘Still Rollin’ reached No. 16 on the Billboard Canadian charts.

boAt pulls Shubh’s sponsorship 

On Tuesday, boAt took to social media platform X to announce they are pulling out as sponsors of the Canadian singer’s India tour, pointing to controversial comments the artist made earlier this year.

pic.twitter.com/zvWJTDfDOK

— boAt (@RockWithboAt) September 19, 2023

Big celebs unfollowing Shubh

Modern day greats Virat Kohli who once said that he loved Shubh’s music, has now unfollowed him amid the controversy. After that, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya also unfollowed the singer. 

Political controversy amid Shubh’s Instagram story 

Recently, the Bharatiya Yuva Morcha (BYJM) tore down posters promoting Shubh’s concert. The President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Tajinder Singh Tiwana, gave a statement to ANI saying that “Khalistan supporters, who oppose India’s unity and integrity, have no place here. We will not allow the Canadian singer to perform in Mumbai, the revered land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. If the organizers do not address this, they will face our resistance.”

The tension between Canada and India 

Tensions between Canada and India have intensified over the Khalistan issue, especially after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau implicated India in Nijjar’s death in British Columbia. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded by saying that claims of India’s participation in violent acts in Canada are baseless and have ulterior motives. “Linking the Indian government to incidents like this is unwarranted. We call on the Canadian government to swiftly and decisively act against any anti-India activities on their territory,” the statement further noted.

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