Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Saturday described the arrival of a second US aircraft carrying Indian citizens allegedly involved in illegal migration as a “test” for Indian diplomacy.
In a post on X, Chidambaram questioned the treatment of the deportees, asking, “All eyes will be on the US aircraft landing in Amritsar today, bringing back illegal immigrants. Will the deportees be handcuffed and their legs tied with ropes? This is a test for Indian diplomacy.”
The arrival of the first US Air Force plane carrying 104 Indian nationals, who were deported for allegedly migrating illegally to the US, took place on February 5 in Amritsar, Punjab.
Speaking further on the matter, Chidambaram criticized the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for mishandling the deportation issue. He pointed out that the government was aware of the planned deportations and questioned whether External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had raised the issue of sending Indians back under standard operating procedures (SoPs) during his meeting with US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
Chidambaram also raised concerns about the government’s response, asking whether it had offered to send its own plane to bring the deportees back and whether it planned to send planes for the return of 483 additional Indian nationals identified as illegal immigrants by the US.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann strongly criticized the central government’s handling of the deportation process. He accused the government of deliberately selecting Amritsar as the landing point to portray Punjabis as the sole group of illegal migrants.
Mann alleged, “There is a conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis. The first plane landed in Amritsar, and now a second plane will follow. The MEA should clarify why Amritsar was chosen.” He also pointed out the proximity of Amritsar to Pakistan, calling it a security concern given Lahore’s location just 40 km away. “What kind of foreign policy is this?” he questioned.
The Punjab CM also raised doubts about why places like Ahmedabad or Delhi were not selected for the deportation. “I will strongly oppose this. I demand that the MEA and the MHA change the route and have the plane land in Delhi, Hindon, or Ahmedabad,” Mann added.
