Senior Congress leader and former Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu has condemned the U.S. for deporting Indian youngsters in handcuffs and shackles, calling it a blatant violation of human rights. He said this incident has completely exposed the failures of the Modi government’s foreign policy.
Balbir Sidhu further stated that forcing Sikh youths to remove their turbans and sending them back bareheaded is not only a human rights violation but also an insult to religious beliefs, deeply wounding the Sikh community. He criticized Prime Minister Modi’s silence on this issue, saying it shows his helplessness before U.S. President Trump, whom he once proudly called his "personal friend."
He pointed out that even small nations like Colombia have stood up to the U.S. by refusing to allow American military planes carrying deported youths to land, instead sending their own aircraft to bring their citizens back with dignity. In contrast, he alleged, the Modi-led BJP government is fully complicit in defaming Punjab by selecting Sri Amritsar Sahib Airport as the primary return point for deported Indian citizens.
Balbir Sidhu urged the Punjab government to immediately protest against the Centre’s actions to prevent further defamation of the state. He also called for strong efforts to rehabilitate the returning youth so that they can rebuild their lives with dignity.
Further criticizing the AAP government, Balbir Sidhu claimed that since coming to power, illegal migration scams run by travel agents have skyrocketed, facilitated by some party leaders and their close bureaucratic allies. He accused the AAP of making false promises to provide jobs for Punjab’s youth, while in reality, thousands are being forced to return home under humiliating conditions.
Targeting AAP ministers Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Harbhajan Singh E.T.O., he questioned their indifference to the plight of deported Sikh youths. He criticized them for focusing on photo ops instead of ensuring that the bareheaded Sikh youngsters received turbans or head coverings upon arrival.