NEW DELHI: INDIA bloc remained divided over Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s claim that flights with illegal Indian immigrants were being made to land in Amritsar to “defame” the state.
As Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi supported the claim saying that the first flight should have landed in Gujarat given the majority of deportees belonging to that state, Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla simply dismissed Mann’s claims calling it “meaningless”. Additionally, another Congress MP Manish Tewari came out in support of Punjab CM.
“He is absolutely right. The first aircraft that landed with immigrants who were brought back in inhuman conditions had most of the people from Gujarat. That flight should have landed in Gujarat, but it landed in Amritsar to create an impression that all illegal immigrants are from Punjab and that it is the only state with economic distress… If you are not able to crack down on agents, it is a failure of the government..,” Priyanka Chaturvedi said.
“What Bhagwat Mann said was merely to create headlines. It was all meaningless. The flight should have been landed in Delhi… Punjab is not getting defamed in any way. Punjab has a lot of NRIs, and they contribute to our economy in a big way. Punjabis are living a happy life abroad… What are the governments doing to stop such large-scale emigration?” asked Congress’s Gurjit Singh Aujla
He further questioned the state government over the actions taken to create employment in the state. “What has the state government done to employ our people, and what is the state’s law and order?… Because the people of Punjab are economically well-off, they prefer to go to the US. Indians have emigrated in large numbers to Europe and UAE as well… This shows the condition of our country. The BJP and AAP government should look into it…,” he said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Manish Tewari reiterated Mann’s views and said that the central government was “trying to send a message that every illegal immigrant to the USA is from Punjab.”
“…Why are these planes landing in Punjab? What is the kind of message you’re trying to send? Are you trying to send a message that every illegal immigrant to the USA is from Punjab Punjab CM is absolutely correct to that extent. There were people from Gujarat and Haryana. You could have landed this plane in Delhi or anywhere else. Why in Amritsar all the time?…Delhi does not understand that Punjab does not take very easily to humiliation and there is always a cost to pay when Delhi tries to humiliate Punjab,” he said.
The political over the choice of state erupted on Friday after there were reports of two other fights from the US with illegal Indian deportees set to land in Amritsar over the weekend. There is no official confirmation of this so far.
Reacting to these reports Punjab CM and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann had questioned the foreign policy and asked if a Bangladeshi national Sheikh Hasina could be made to land at Hindon, Ghaziabad, then why not Indian nationals.
“The MEA should tell the criteria based on which Amritsar was selected to land the aircraft. You select Amritsar to defame Punjab. America’s military planes are landing in Amritsar, and an enemy country, Pakistan, is right next to it. Lahore is 40 km from there… What kind of foreign policy is this?” he had questioned.
“Sheikh Hasina landed in Hindon. Ghaziabad. Why can these (Indian citizens who allegedly illegally migrated to the US) be landed in Hindon? Amritsar is being chosen deliberately to portray that only Punjabis are illegal migrants… Why is Ahmedabad or Ambala not chosen?… BJP always conspires to defame Punjab… They don’t let international flights operate from Amritsar, claiming that it is not suitable for it, so why are flights coming in from the US now?… I will strictly oppose this… I demand to the MEA and the MHA that the plane is still onboard, change the route and make it land in Delhi, Hindon or Ahmedabad…,” he added.
BJP leaders dismissed the claims saying that this wasn’t the first time that illegal immigrants have been deported. “This is not the first time illegal immigrants have been deported. Even EAM mentioned that it has happened many times before… Now that it has been highlighted, it has created news. All those migrating illegally need to worry… Why doesn’t Bhagwant Mann tell everyone that most of the deportees are Punjabis? The deportees arriving today also consist of people from Punjab and Haryana… Why isn’t his government taking action against agents who facilitate illegal migration?” BJP national spokesperson RP Singh said.
Another flight carrying over 119 deportees is expected to land on Saturday at Amritsar airport. This comes only a week after 104 illegal Indians were sent back on a US military plane.