JP Nadda Slams Opposition Over US Deportation Controversy

BJP chief questions Congress’ silence on deportations in previous years

New Delhi, February 11: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda on Monday lashed out at the Opposition, particularly Congress, for its politicization of the recent deportation of Indian nationals from the US. He questioned why similar concerns had not been raised during previous years when deportations were also taking place.

Nadda Criticizes P Chidambaram, Congress for Selective Outrage

Taking a dig at senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, Nadda accused him of attempting to create unnecessary controversy over the issue.

“Chidambaram questioned whether the External Affairs Minister had spoken with the US Secretary of State. I was wondering why they didn’t ask the same question in 2012 when he was a minister? Why didn’t they raise this in 2009?” Nadda remarked.

He further stated that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had already provided clarifications on the deportations and accused the Opposition of twisting facts for political gain.

Deportations Not a New Phenomenon, Says Nadda

Nadda emphasized that deportations of illegal immigrants have been taking place for years and should not be viewed through a political lens.

“This is being presented as if deportations have never happened before. But the fact is, they have been occurring regularly. If Congress was truly concerned, why were they silent in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012?” he added.

Sharing data from 2009 onwards, Nadda pointed out that deportations were “organized and executed by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)” under Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) that have existed since 2012.

Congress Attacks Government Over Handling of Deportations

Earlier, Congress leader P Chidambaram had alleged that the MEA had failed to handle the deportation crisis effectively and had “crumbled badly” in responding to the situation.

He accused the government of having prior knowledge about the planned deportation of Indian nationals and questioned whether External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had discussed the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Chidambaram also demanded to know whether the Indian government had offered to send its own plane to bring back the deported individuals instead of them being transported on a US military aircraft in what he described as an “inhuman manner.”

104 Indians Deported, More Expected to Return

The controversy erupted after a US Air Force plane carrying 104 Indian nationals, classified as illegal immigrants, landed in Amritsar on February 5.

Opposition parties have accused the government of failing to protect Indian citizens from mistreatment, claiming that the deported individuals were “handcuffed and ill-treated” while being transported.

With 483 more Indian nationals identified for deportation by US authorities, the political blame game is expected to intensify in the coming days.