‘Why not Pakistan?’ Congress criticises US govt over travel advisory

New Delhi: The Congress criticised the US government’s travel advisory on India, cautioning its citizens against travelling to the country and asking American women not to travel alone. Besides, the advisory has asked the US government employees to take prior permission before travelling to India.

The party expressed surprise over the silence of the government of India over such a serious development, which may have far-reaching consequences for the country. She asked the government of India to raise the matter with the US government.

‘Why not Pakistan?’

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here on Tuesday, the party spokesperson and the chairperson of the Digital and Social Media Platforms, Supriya Shrinate observed that it was strange and ironic that there was no such advisory for a country like Pakistan which shields terrorists, but about India, the fourth largest economy in the world and the land of Gandhi.

‘Diplomatic failure of Modi govt’

She claimed that the advisory is yet another diplomatic failure of the prime minister Narendra Modi-led government.

He said it is the same country whose leader, PM Modi had gone out of his way to appease by organising shows like Howdy Modi, Namaste Trump and Abb ki Bar Trump Sarkar while the leader was repeatedly heaping and hurling insults on India. She also took a jibe at those people who performed special ‘hawans’ praying for Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections.

“PM Modi had spent maximum time of his 11-year tenure so far, in visiting foreign countries and wooing foreign leaders and the result was that while the Pakistan military Chief Asim Munir is accorded a red carpet welcome, India is slapped with a travel advisory,” she said.

She observed that this will not only have an adverse impact on India’s image and prestige on the global stage, but will also harm tourism and investments in the country. She said it can impact everybody’s life in the country.

PM Modi and Munir

The Congress spokesperson also took exception to US president Trump taking PM Modi’s and Munir’s name in the same breath saying she cannot accept that the PM’s name is hyphenated with a military commander known for abetting and patronising terrorism.

Asserting that it was a serious failure of the foreign policy, she said, it was only one in a series of insults by the Trump administration hurled on India. She said, besides the travel advisory, Trump was repeatedly claiming to have mediated the ceasefire, threatening tariffs and deporting our people from the US handcuffed and under the most inhuman conditions. She said, India’s foreign policy had never suffered such a setback.

Safety and security of women

While strongly condemning the US advisory, Shrinate asked the government of India to take note of certain serious issues facing the country, particularly those related to safety and security of women. She noted that 45 crimes were reported against women every hour in the country.

She quoted several incidents where the culprits, responsible for heinous crimes against women particularly rape, were patronised, by the BJP leaders and governments.

“The truth is that you have not been able to provide justice to fifty per cent population in the country and you have miserably failed to secure India’s interests in the world,” the Congress spokesperson remarked.