By Anil Swarup-
(Anil Swarup is a former Education Secretary and Coal Secretary in the Government of India. He is also a renowned author. The views expressed in this article are his own.)
The sight of Indians being repatriated from the USA to India in shackles, to say the least, was shocking. It puts us all to shame. It raises a large number of questions that beg for answers. However, to begin with, it needs to be admitted that those persons who were repatriated were wrong but let us look at more fundamental issues.
Why are so many people enticed to look for opportunities elsewhere when we are apparently filled with so much ‘josh” for our country? It is difficult to objectively assess how patriotic we are but we are arguably the loudest when it comes to decibels.
For some, it could be a financial necessity. There is nothing wrong in looking for greener pastures but why pursue an illegitimate path? Is the situation so desperate? Why aren’t we able to create opportunities within the country?
Ironically, majority of those who were repatriated recently were from Punjab and Gujarat that are considered more prosperous than the other states. The real cause for concern is the large number of prosperous people, some in powerful positions as well, choosing to send their children not only to study abroad but to settle there and acquire foreign citizenship. In fact, there are instances of such well-off people finding innovative ways to beat the law to acquire US citizenship for their children. And, the irony is that such persons claim to be die-hard nationalists. Why do the children of those who profess to be nationalists choose citizenship of an alien country? This is sheer hypocrisy. But then, who will raise such an issue and, even if it is raised, they have nothing to worry about? What they are doing is not illegal and they aren’t bothered about ethics because no one else is bothered about it.
Let us now come to the treatment meted out to those who were repatriated and the response of the Indian Government. I had posted the following on the social media:
“Every country has a right to deport those that have entered their territory illegally but:
- Should those who are deported be shackled?
- There were deportees in the past from the USA and other countries to India. Were these deportees shackled at the time of deportation in the past?
- Were all the deportees from the USA this year to other countries shackled”
In fact, I should have added a couple more questions:
- Are there no illegal immigrants from China? Will they also be deported?
- When illegal Chinese immigrants are deported, will they also be shackled?
We can discuss China subsequently when that happens but now the issues relate to the deportation and how the entire exercise was conducted.
We were informed in the Parliament that standard operating procedure (SoP) has been followed while deporting Indians. It is the sovereign right of a country to evolve its own SoP but there have been so many instances in the past where not only were SoPs relaxed, even laws have been relaxed through diplomatic interventions. There have been recent incidents which even those who were facing the death penalty were granted clemency as a consequence of the diplomatic intervention. Yes, those that were deported were in the wrong but were they bigger criminals than those that were charged with murder or other heinous crimes? Was an effort made to ensure that they were not treated as hardened criminals?
It was also mentioned in the Parliament that there has been deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the USA in the past as well. Were all these illegal immigrants shackled when they were deported in the past? Or, is it the first instance? If yes, then why? And, we are informed that Columbia did not allow the American army plane carrying deported Columbian immigrants to land on its soil and sent its own plane to get such immigrants back.
There are unconfirmed reports that not all the illegal immigrants who were deported recently from the USA were shackled. If this is true, why was this discrimination against a nation that is now assuming a leadership role amongst the comity of nations and vying for a permanent seat in the Security Council?
There will be and there should be many more questions asked as some nations are choosing to throw their weight around. They are already being seen as bullies reminiscent of what happened during the first half of the last century. However, unlike that period, India is an important player now. It can’t and shouldn’t be seen at the receiving end. However, to do that, those who are prosperous and those in powerful positions will have to stop getting enticed by the West. They can perhaps afford do that but it is a million-dollar (Rupee?) question whether they will do that. The chances are remote because many of those that are in-charge of our future believe that their future lies elsewhere.
