NEW DELHI: Expressing outrage over the barbaric treatment to an Indian diplomat in the US, political parties here demanded an unconditional apology from the US, and suggested tit-for-tat to check such acts.
Union Minister Kamal Nath announced a slew of measures on Tuesday and cautioned that India is not a banana republic. Opposition leaders from BJP went one step ahead demanding an unconditional apology from US authorities and tit-for-tat by Indian government including arrest of gay diplomats from the US who are posted in India.
Citing the recent ruling of the Supreme Court that gay sex is illegal in India, former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha called upon the government to hit back by punishing same sex companions of US diplomats in India.
JD(U)leader KC Tyagi said that he would give a notice tomorrow to Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari to take up the issue in the Upper House as the matter was a “very serious” one.
JD(U) also criticised external affairs minister Salman Khurshid for meeting a US Congressional delegation though Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar refused to meet them in protest against the behaviour meted out to the diplomat.
BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi too refused to meet the US lawmakers.
CPI national secretary D Raja said the US makes “tall claims about human rights and freedom but with this incident, all these claims have fallen flat.”
The Indian diplomat was strip-searched, confined with drug addicts and also subjected to DNA swabbing in the US. However, US State department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf justified the action calling it “standard procedure during arrest”.
Steps by India so far:
US consulates to surrender their Diplomatic Identity Cards issued to them and their families by the Indian government.
India has withdrawn all airport passes for US consulates.
Asked the US to declare the salary of the Indian employees in US consulates, including those working as domestic help at the homes of US diplomats in India.
Police have been asked to lift barricades outside the US embassy in Delhi, but the police picket is to remain.
India stopping all import clearances for the embassy.
