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Deportation Of Indians From US: Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla called Bhagwant Mann’s accusations ‘meaningless’. He said Punjab has a lot of NRIs, and they contribute to our economy in a big way. Punjabis are living a happy life abroad.
A flight carrying as many as 119 illegal Indian immigrants from the US is likely to land at Amritsar airport at around 10 pm on February 15 (File)
US illegal immigrants deportation: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday accused the central government of deliberately selecting Amritsar as likely the landing point of another flight carrying deported Indian immigrants from the US, saying that the government is trying to defame Punjab.
A second batch of 119 illegal Indian immigrants in the US is likely to be deported in a US plane that will land at Amritsar airport on February 15, as part of a massive crackdown by the Donald Trump administration.
This comes days after the first batch of 104 Indian immigrants were flown back to India in a US military aircraft last week. The deportees were handcuffed during the flight which created an uproar in the country, including in the political corridors.
Among these 119 immigrants, 67 hail from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the official sources said as quoted by news agency PTI.
While addressing a press conference, Mann said, “The BJP-led Centre always discriminates against Punjab. It does not let go of any chance of defaming Punjab.”
VIDEO | A US plane carrying 119 illegal immigrants is likely to land at Amritsar airport on February 15, the second such batch of Indians deported by the Trump government as part of a crackdown it resolved to carry out when it was sworn in last month. The plane is expected to… pic.twitter.com/vFcwxYghoq— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 14, 2025
He said that the first US plane carrying illegal Indian immigrants had 33 people from Haryana and Gujarat each and 30 from Punjab.
“It is being said that out of the 119 illegal immigrants, 67 hail from Punjab and that’s why the plane will land in Amritsar. If that’s the case, then why didn’t the first plane last in Ahmedabad? … They (referring to BJP-led central government) are trying to defame Punjab. BJP always tries to defame Punjabis and Punjab,” Mann added.
Reacting to Mann’s remarks, Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla said, “Bhagwant Mann only wanted to create headlines with his statement. It’s all meaningless. 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, in turn, questioned CM Mann over what the government had been doing to stop “such large-scale emigration”. ” What has the state government done to employ our people, and what is the state’s law and order? Because the people of Punjab are economically well-off, they prefer to go to the US. Indians have emigrated in large numbers to Europe and UAE as well. This shows the condition of our country. The BJP and AAP government should look into it,” he further said.
Meanwhile, Mann also lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Friday morning held high-stake bilateral talks with President Trump. The Punjab CM asked whether he was bringing a “gift” from the country, referring to another plane of illegal Indian immigrants.
The BJP refuted Bhagwant Mann’s allegations as the party accused him of exploiting the issue for political gains.
“Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should avoid doing politics on such sensitive issues. AAP leaders do not care about the security of the country; they only do politics,” BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said.
BJP national spokesperson RP Singh said, “Amritsar is the nearest international airport for flights entering India from the US. That is why US aircraft carrying illegal immigrants are landing there. Mr Bhagwant Mann, stop politicising the issue and promoting conspiracy theories due to your lack of knowledge.”
After Trump’s inauguration on January 20 this year, his administration has launched a massive crackdown against illegal immigrants.
Several Indians who entered the US through “donkey routes” – an illegal method used by the migrants to get entry into the US and other countries – are being deported.
(With inputs from agencies)
- Location :
Amritsar, India, India
