'Gift sone ki zanjeer': Akhilesh's jibe at PM Modi's US visit amid deportation row

NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav took a veiled dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his upcoming US visit, which comes just days after more than 100 illegal Indian immigrants were deported home by the Trump administration.

Highlighting the last US visit when the PM gifted a diamond, Akhilesh Yadav said the Prime Minister should take "gold shackle" as a gift this time.

The single most expensive gift given to any member of the US first family in 2023 was a diamond presented by PM Modi to US First Lady Jill Biden during his state visit to the White House.

"In view of the upcoming US visit, like the last time a diamond was gifted, this time take a golden shackle as a gift. Maybe the golden shackle would serve as a reminder to the other shackle," Yadav said during his Lok Sabha address.

Yadav was alluding to visuals showing illegal Indian migrants deported by the US in handcuffs and shackles, which triggered a massive political uproar.

External affairs minister S Jaishnkar, however, provided clarification on the "handcuff" row, saying the "standard operating procedure for deportation by aircraft provides for the use of restraints".

The minister also said that the government was engaging with the US dispensation to ensure "deportees are not mistreated in any manner during the flight".

The ex-UP chief minister further said: "If possible bring some children and women along with yourself as an aircraft would also be an Indian".

Earlier, the opposition had questioned the central government's decision to allow a US military aircraft carrying deported Indians to land in Amritsar instead of the national capital, saying the city was chosen keeping in mind "perception" and "narrative-building".

The Kannauj MP also raked up the issue of "Dunki", saying how could such a system prosper under this government while noting that most of the affected were from Gujarat.

Criticising the Budget the SP chief said he did not "see any roadmap in it to make India a developed nation".

"This budget is a targeted budget, this budget is focused for those who are very rich, big people, industrialists. This budget is made for them. I do not see any roadmap in it to make India a developed nation and the roadmap is not visible because as soon as the budget came, we saw those pictures. Were the 10 budgets made for this country only so that when the 11th budget comes, the whole country and the whole world will see that the people of India were sent back with handcuffs," he added.
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