Debbie Abrahams Visa Row: Congress Divided on British MP's Deportation; Shashi Tharoor Slams Modi Govt, Abhishek Manu Singhvi Terms It Necessary
While Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor asked the Centre why it was scared of critics if everything is normal in Jammu and Kashmir, his party colleague Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that it was necessary
New Delhi, February 18: The Modi government's decision to deport British MP Debbie Abrahams has left the Congress divided. While Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor asked the Centre why it was scared of critics if everything is normal in Jammu and Kashmir, his party colleague Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that it was necessary to deport Debbie Abrahams as she is a "Pak proxy". Abrahams had criticised the Modi government's move of withdrawing Jammu and Kashmir's special status, granted under Article 370. Debbie Abrahams Did Not Have Valid Visa, Says Indian High Commission in UK on Denying British MP Entry Into India.
Reacting to Abrahams's deportation, Shashi Tharoor tweeted: "The conduct really unworthy of a democracy & guaranteed to give us a far worse press than if she had been admitted." "If things are fine in #Kashmir, shouldn't the Govt encourage critics to witness the situation themselves to put their fears to rest? Instead of conducting tours for pliant MEPs & polite Ambassadors alone, surely the head of a Parliamentary Group on the subject is worth cultivating?" he added.
Shashi Tharoor's Tweet:
Calling Abrahams a "Pak proxy", Abhishek Manu Singhvi apparently welcomed her deportation. "The deportation of Debbie Abrahams by India was indeed necessary, as she is not just an MP, but a Pak proxy known for her clasp with Pak govt and ISI. Every attempt that tries to attack India's sovereignty must be thwarted," he wrote on Tuesday.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi's Tweet:
Labour Party MP Debbie Abrahams, who is critical of the Indian government's Kashmir policy, was stopped when she landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday morning and later deported to Dubai. Abrahams was issued an e-business visa on October 7, 2019, which was valid till October 5, 2020, to attend business meetings. Sources told news agency ANI that Abrahams's visa was cancelled and "she had been informed about it timely and with due process".
On August 5 last year, the day the Modi government ended special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370, Abrahams, who heads the All-Party UK Parliamentary Group for Kashmir, wrote a letter to the Indian envoy in the UK expressing grave concerns over New Delhi's move.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 18, 2020 04:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).