Insult to India: Shashi Tharoor on US treatment of deported Indians
New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said the manner in which Indians staying illegally in the US were deported was "an insult to India and the dignity of Indians".
He also asserted that the government needed to issue a message to the US, making it clear that it had no right to do this in such an "insulting manner".
A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants landed in Amritsar on Wednesday, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.
The deportees claimed their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and that they were unshackled only after landing in Amritsar.
Asked about the deportation of Indians, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said, "We are protesting the way in which this was done. They have every legal right to deport people who are illegally in their country and we, if they are proven to be Indians, have an obligation to receive them … But to send them like this abruptly in a military aircraft and in handcuffs is an insult to India, it's an insult to the dignity of Indians and we should certainly protest."
The former Union minister of state for external affairs recalled how Colombia had refused to accept suspected immigrants of Colombian origin under similar circumstances and officially protested when people were sent back in handcuffs.
"You send people in a civilian aircraft, you send them normally, we will accept them if they are our citizens but you can't do this," Tharoor told reporters outside Parliament.
"The Modi government needs to issue a message, making it very clear that we accept the right of Americans to send illegal people away but they have no right to do it in such an insulting manner," he said.
"It is a humiliation that we don't have to witness it here in India," he added.
The government should take action so that this is not repeated and demand an explanation for this "atrocious behaviour", Tharoor said.
VIDEO | On deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the US, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) says, "We are protesting the way in which this was done. They have every legal right to deport people who are illegally in their country and we, if they are proven to be… pic.twitter.com/J1eO79ES4B
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 6, 2025
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
