US-based NRI Darshan Singh Dhaliwalwho was turned back from Delhi Airport on the night of October 23-24, 2021, allegedly for his involvement in the peasant movement on the borders of the national capital, said on Tuesday he was “very honored and excited” to be among the 21 Recipient of this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award – the highest honor bestowed on overseas Indians.
Milwaukee resident Dhaliwal, 72, was turned back from Indira Gandhi International Airport after arranging “a langar” for farmers protesting the three new farm bills, which were later withdrawn. Speaking to The Indian Express on Tuesday, Dhaliwal said: “I wasn’t disappointed when I was sent back. I bow to the Almighty and believe that whatever is done by Him is always for good.”
Dhaliwal said he decided to organize the langar for the farmers after “observing what they were going through”. He said, “I was not involved in the farm laws.”
The NRI businessman also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying: “He has done a lot for the country. He has done great things for the Sikhs and I wish he continues to do so.”
Dhaliwal’s selection for the award was said to be part of a government outreach exercise to the Sikh community following the end of the farm protests. As an influential member of the Indian American community, Dhaliwal had hosted some events in the Chicago area and Indian officials also did some outreach. The award is the culmination of those efforts, sources said.
Sources said Dhaliwal’s name was decided by the jury and awards committee, which has the vice president as chair and the foreign minister as deputy chair. The panel unanimously selected the final list, it said.
Dhaliwal has been an influential NRI businessman for several decades, with businesses spanning gas stations, trucks and real estate across the US.
Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and DSB Group CEO Piyush Gupta are among the other awardees to be presented during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention taking place in Indore from 8th to 10th January.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Dhaliwal’s younger brother Surjit Singh Rakhra, who was a minister in Punjab’s previous SAD government, described the award as “a blessing from Guru Maharaj”.
According to Rakhra, the prime minister had met with Dhaliwal in Delhi last April. “PM Modi had invited around 100 eminent personalities including him (Dhaliwal). He attended the event,” he said.
Asked about Dhaliwal’s support for the peasant movement, Rakhra said: “We had only arranged a langar for the protesting peasants, but the government thought we could help mediate and end the standoff. My brother was given three choices: either stop the langar, help compromise with the farmers, or return to the United States.”
Her family is from the village of Rakhra near Patiala. Rakhra said Dhaliwal will arrive in Indore, India on January 7 for the convention.
In 2021, after Dhaliwal was sent back from the airport, Rakhra had told The Indian Express: “My brother landed on a United Airlines flight at 7pm on October 23, 2021 and after questioning him for 5-6 hours, was interrogated he was sent back to the US on the same flight.”
Punjab’s former Prime Minister Parkash Singh Badal had requested the Prime Minister’s intervention at the time. Requesting Modi to personally invite Dhaliwal as a “goodwill gesture that will send a great positive signal to the NRIs,” Badal had also “sought to take strict action against the erring officials who are giving the country a bad name with their action.” brought”.
Dhaliwal emigrated to the United States in 1972. He is married to Debra, a Wisconsin native, and the couple have three sons and three daughters.