In a rare show of unity, India’s political class has slammed the Obama administration and rebuffed visiting US delegation over the way the New York Police arrested India’s Deputy Counsel General Devyani Khobragade.
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon cancelled their scheduled meetings with US representatives in a unprecedented snub to the Americans.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, however, kept his date with the US delegation, and took up the insult inflicted on the Indian diplomat. While Shinde cancelled his meeting with a senior US Congressional delegation, Menon called off his engagement with a five-member US team.
lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar had on Monday cancelled her meeting with the delegation as she felt it was not “appropriate” to meet parliamentarians of the US, which has badly treated one of
India’s diplomats.
The delegation comprised Congressmen George Holding (Republican - North Carolina), Pete Olson (Republican - Texas) David Schweikert (Republican - Arizona), Robert Woodall (Republican - Georgia), Madeleine Bordallo (Democrat - Guam).
Similarly, Narendra Modi refused to meet a senior US Congressional delegation as a mark of protest against the treatment meted out to Devyani. “Refused to meet the visiting USA delegation in solidarity with our nation, protesting ill treatment meted to our lady diplomat in the USA,” Modi tweeted.
Giving vent to the displeasure over the US act, Rahul Gandhi also refused to meet the US Congressional delegation. The meeting, which was slated for Monday, did not take place because Gandhi wanted to register his disapproval of the American treatment of Indian diplomat, sources said.
Meanwhile, JD(U) MP KC Tyagi also gave a notice to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari seeking to raise the issue in Zero Hour. However, it could not be taken up as the House took up the lokpal Bill for consideration and passage.
Tyagi said that he will give a notice on Wednesday again for taking up the issue in the Upper House as the matter was a “very serious” one.” A strong message should be sent to the US from India on this issue. If this is done to our diplomats, the officers from the US in the Indian Embassy should also be strip-searched. We as a party condemn what External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid did.
The BJP also slammed the US for its “shameful and barbaric” behaviour towards the diplomat and asked the government to take up the matter strongly with the American establishment.
Talking to reporters outside Parliament, BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad also took a dig at the UPA Government saying the treatment given to the Indian diplomat by the US “does not accord to the level of friendship that the Indian government claims to have with the US”.
“The way she was arrested after being handcuffed, kept with drug addicts and strip-searched in the police station, that is condemnable, reprehensible and regrettable and in clear violation of conventions,” he said.