Sukhbir Badal Slams US Over Deportation, Questions Punjab Govt’s Inaction Against Travel Agents
Chandigarh, February 6, 2025 – Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former president Sukhbir Singh Badal has condemned the deportation of Indian migrants from the United States, calling it an insult to the nation. In a post on X, Badal criticized the US for sending back Indians in handcuffs on a military plane and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the matter with the US government.
"The manner in which Indians have been deported from the United States in handcuffs on a military plane is an insult to the nation. The migrants are victims of circumstances, not criminals. They should be treated humanely," Badal stated. He appealed to the Prime Minister to ensure that Indians are not subjected to such treatment in the future.
Badal also hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for failing to act against illegal travel agents who, he alleged, are responsible for luring youth into unauthorized migration. "It is highly condemnable that Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has not launched any crackdown on notorious travel agents who have played with the lives of our ambitious Punjabis by transporting them to the US illegally," he said.
The SAD leader further demanded that the families of the deported migrants be compensated by penalizing these travel agents, holding them accountable for endangering people's lives in the pursuit of better opportunities abroad.