Leading Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh has once again become the centre of discussion and this time it is not for his music or films but over reports about his citizenship status and according to a report published by The Indian Express, Diljit Dosanjh is no longer an Indian citizen and has reportedly been a United States citizen since 2022.
The report has surprised many fans because Diljit is widely known for proudly representing Punjab and Punjabi culture across the world and his famous line “Main Hoon Punjab” has become strongly associated with his identity and public image however as per the report Diljit acquired US citizenship in 2022 and has been travelling internationally on a US passport since September 1 of that year.
The report by The Indian Express stated that Diljit’s last Indian passport was issued in Mumbai in 2018 and before that another Indian passport of his had reportedly been issued in Zambia and sources quoted in the report claimed that after becoming a US citizen he started travelling to India using an e-visa instead of an Indian passport.
The report also mentioned that this indicates Diljit does not currently hold an OCI card. OCI or Overseas Citizen of India is a facility given to foreign citizens of Indian origin that allows them multiple-entry and long-term travel benefits in India however OCI holders still remain foreign citizens and are not considered Indian citizens under the law.
Another point mentioned in the report was related to Diljit’s personal life which he has mostly kept private for many years and according to report his wife Sandeep Kaur is also a US national and it further claimed that while applying for American citizenship Diljit had listed a large five-bedroom bungalow located in an upscale area of California as his residential address.
Despite being one of the biggest Punjabi stars globally Diljit has rarely spoken publicly about his family and over the years he has maintained a very private personal life and avoided discussing his marriage or family details in interviews and a 2024 profile published by The Indian Express had earlier stated that Diljit has a son and that his parents currently live in Ludhiana and the report described him as “an intensely private person” whose close friends revealed limited details about his family life.
The issue gained more attention after a Punjab-based civil society group reportedly appealed to Diljit to enter politics and the group called Jaago Punjab Manch includes retired IAS officers, Army officials, and professionals and last week the group published a full-page newspaper advertisement requesting Diljit to take over political leadership of Punjab claiming that the state needed a fresh and respected face and the appeal described Punjab as a state struggling with several major problems, including financial stress, unemployment and the issue of drugs.
However Diljit clearly rejected the proposal and responding to reports on social media platform X he wrote “Kadey v Nhi… Mera kam entertainment karna, I’m very happy in my field, thank you so much” through this message the singer made it clear that he currently has no plans to join politics and wishes to continue focusing on entertainment and his artistic career.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also reacted to these discussions surrounding Diljit’s possible political entry and according to reports Mann alleged that BJP was trying to pressure the singer into entering politics and also claimed that political parties have increasingly started looking at celebrities as potential mass leaders.
The citizenship issue has also sparked conversations about whether Diljit could legally join Indian politics in future and according to the report by The Indian Express since Diljit is now reportedly a US citizen he would first need to regain Indian citizenship before contesting elections or formally entering politics in India and under Indian law dual citizenship is not allowed which means a person cannot simultaneously hold Indian citizenship and citizenship of another country and the report referred to provisions under Citizenship Act which state that a foreign citizen seeking Indian citizenship must meet certain residency requirements and these include living continuously in India for 12 months immediately before applying and staying in India for 11 out of the previous 14 years.