Message will have to be conveyed delicately: Tharoor on treatment of deportees from US
New Delhi (PTI): The way a batch of Indians were deported from the US has naturally caused a great deal of anxiety, resentment and anger in India, and New Delhi will have to "delicately" convey a message to Washington behind closed doors on this, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said.
The MP from Thiruvananthapuram made the remarks in response to a query at a book launch event on Monday evening, the same day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a two-nation tour with the US as the second destination after France.
During his two-day visit to the US starting Wednesday, the prime minister will hold a bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump and interact with the business leaders and members of the Indian community.
The interaction with Tharoor was hosted at the Foreign Correspondents' Club following the launch of the book 'Indian Parliament: Shaping Foreign Policy' penned by veteran journalist and scholar K V Prasad.
After his speech as the chair of the session, Tharoor, who also heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, fielded a swathe of questions from the audience on subjects ranging from the Bangladesh situation, ties with Pakistan, Modi's visit to the US, to nuances of parliamentary democracy.
A US military aircraft carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants last week landed in Amritsar, the first such batch of Indians deported by the Donald Trump administration as part of a crackdown against illegal immigrants.
Some deportees claimed that their hands and legs were cuffed throughout the journey and they were unshackled only after landing in Amritsar.
"Two other areas of sensitivity that have just arisen, one of course not so much as the deportation of illegal immigrants, entirely appropriate. But, the manner of the deportation has naturally caused a great deal of anxiety, resentment and even anger in India," Tharoor said.
"Somehow the message will delicately have to be conveyed behind closed doors and this must never be repeated," he said.
The former minister of state for external affairs said having Indians arriving in their homeland in handcuffs has "not played well with anyone in the political spectrum."
"But, if anyone enters a country illegally that country has a right to deport. And, if your identity and nationality is not disputed, if your identity is proven to be Indian, India has an obligation to take them back," the Congress MP said.
These two things are beyond debate, Tharoor asserted.
"Therefore that's not where an argument should lie. The argument should lie that treat our people with respect because that is how we would treat your people if we were expelling any nationals of your country.
"Treat them with respect, they are not criminals, rapists or murderers. They are illegal immigrants and once they have left your soil, they don't need to be handcuffed. And, certainly, shouldn't be mistreated," he said.
Tharoor conjectured that "some unpredictable issues may also come off the cuff" during the Modi-Trump meeting in the US.
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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.
