Punjab's NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO met illegal Indian immigrants who were deported from the US to Amritsar.
The senior Congress leader said that the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act, 2012, regulates the profession of travel agents to check and curb the illegal and fraudulent activities of the persons and travel agents indulged in organised human smuggling in Punjab.
"Bhagwant Mann should understand that Punjab is a part of this country. If a flight comes from America, the first state is Punjab. When you cross Lahore, we come to Amritsar. Punjab is not a separate country and it is not going to cause any security threat." Alok told ANI.
The Punjab CM arrived at Amritsar airport yesterday night and will be staying to receive the deported Indian nationals, who are expected to arrive around 10 PM.
Highlighting the restrictions put on those who were deported to India, Bharti said that it reflected the "cruelty and inhumanity of the American regime".
"My attitude has been that when somebody in the government, whether it's our government or some other party's government, does the right thing or does something well, one should acknowledge and praise it, and when they do something badly, one should criticise it," Tharoor said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill has criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his remarks about the destination of a plane carrying deported Indian citizens from the US and said that he should give answers rather than ask questions.
"Of all the people deported so far, 67 are from Punjab, and the rest are from other states. By politicising this, the CM is degrading his own state. What action has he taken against those who sent these people through illegal immigration? They are taking huge sums of money and sending the
"What Bhagwat Mann said was merely to create headlines. It was all meaningless. The flight should have been landed in Delhi. Punjab is not getting defamed in any way. Punjab has a lot of NRIs, and they contribute to our economy in a big way. Punjabis are living a happy life abroad," Aujla
Speaking to ANI, Tewari asserted that the Central government could have landed the plane anywhere in the country but chose Amritsar to humiliate Punjab.
In a post on X, Chidambaram said, "All eyes will be on the US aircraft which will land today in Amritsar bringing back illegal immigrants. Will the deportees be handcuffed and their legs tied with ropes? It is a test for Indian diplomacy."