Chandigarh: A special American flight carrying 119 deported Indian nationals is set to arrive at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar on Saturday, police officials said. This marks the second flight of deportees following the US government’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
According to sources, 67 of the returnees are from Punjab, followed by 33 from Haryana. Gujarat has eight deportees, Uttar Pradesh three, while Goa, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan have two each. Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir each have one returnee on board.
A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that security and immigration protocols have been put in place at the airport. Officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, immigration authorities, and police personnel will be present to oversee the arrival. Yet another deportation flight from the US is expected to land in Amritsar on Sunday, bringing back more Indian nationals.
Vehemently opposing the Central government’s move to land a plane carrying deported Indians at Amritsar airport, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann termed it a conspiracy of Union government to defame Punjab and Punjabis.
Interacting with media persons here, Mann said despite of Punjab being the food bowl and sword arm of India, the BJP-led government has started a tirade to defame the state. He said the move to land plane carrying deported Indians from the US in Amritsar is just another attempt of the Government of India to tarnish image of Punjab globally. Mann questioned the move of MEA (ministry of external affairs) to choose Amritsar for landing the plane whereas there are hundreds of other airports in the country.
Mann said he has already raised this issue with the MEA and MHA (ministry of home affairs), but hasn’t received any positive response.
One American plane landed a few days back and now two more planes are being landed without any proper justification. Mann said Punjabis are being targeted because Prime Minister and his party doesn’t like them despite the fact that more than 90 per cent of people martyred, jailed or exiled during Indian freedom struggle were from Punjab.
The chief minister said it is the moral responsibility of the MEA to explain why Punjab, especially Amritsar, has been chosen for this landing. Despite the fact that a hostile neighbour is 40 kilometres away from Amritsar, an Army plane of US is landing here, he said.
Mann further noted that when the state government demands starting of international flights from here then the demand is declined by citing several frivolous reasons.
If the plane carrying former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Shiekh Haseena can land at Hindon Airport and Rafale jet can land in Ambala, then why can’t be this plane taken to any other part of country, Mann asked.
Illegal immigration is not only the problem of Punjab but it is a national problem whereas projection is being made that Punjab is severely affected by this so only Punjabis are being deported from United States, he said.
Training his guns against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister quipped that the “self-proclaimed global leader” has failed to secure rights of Indians. He said that it is the failure of foreign policy of the country as when Modi was shaking hand with his friend Donald Trump, at the same time the chained Indians were being deported through an Army plane.
Mann said except his “self-glorification”, Modi has gained nothing for the country in his trip and the “chained Indians deported to their native land are a return gift by Trump to Modi”.
The Chief Minister regretted that it is unfortunate that the Government of India has not been able to ensure dignified return of hapless Indians. He said that these children of our country are a victim of the system that has prevailed in the country in last seven decades where illegal migration has flexed its muscles.
The CM said these brothers and sisters should have been received gracefully and the Government of India should have sent its own plane to bring them back.
He said instead of ensuring their dignified return the Government of India has humiliated the Indians for which they can be never forgiven. Bhagwant Singh Mann reiterated as Punjabis have always stood against the regressive policies of the Union government so BJP and its government hates Punjabis and is hell bent upon hatching the conspiracies to defame them.
