Congress Spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP, Abhishek Singhvi on Tuesday backed the deportation of British MP Debbie Abrahams.
"The deportation of Debbie Abrahams by India was indeed necessary, as she is not just an MP, but a Pak proxy known for her clasp with e Pak govt and ISI. Every attempt that tries to attack India's sovereignty must be thwarted," he wrote on Twitter.
Fellow party member Shashi Tharoor however had a different reaction. He slammed the government, wondering why it was scared of critics, if the situation in Kashmir was normal.
"...conduct really unworthy of a democracy and guaranteed to give us a far worse press than if she had been admitted. Govt claims situation is normal in Kashmir. Why is the govt then so scared of critics?" he wrote on Twitter on Monday.
Abrahams' e-visa was canceled so she was not allowed entry in Delhi today after she arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Emirates flight from Dubai at 9 am on Monday. As she explains on Twitter, "I was planning to visit Indian family in Delhi accompanied by my Indian aide".
The British lawmaker's e-visa was reportedly issued last October, and was valid until October 2020.
According to a report by The Print however, sources in the immigration department claimed that while her visa had been valid till October, it had been cancelled.
"She was also informed about the same, well in advance, via an email,” they told the publication.
Abrahams for her part denies these claims. When contacted, she told PTI she "had not received any emails before February 13". After that, she had been travelling and was away from office.
In a Twitter post she also added that she had become a politician "to promote social justice & human rights FOR ALL."
"I will continue to challenge my own Government & others while injustice & abuse is unchecked," she wrote.
In the past the Parliamentarian has been critical of India's move to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status. Soon after the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, speaking as the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, she said that people were "gravely concerned" by the announcement.
"We are also concerned about the increased tensions in the area and the movement of thousands of additional paramilitary troops into Indian-controlled Kashmir as well as reports of the use of cluster munitions on unarmed civilians, which, if proved true, would be a violation of the convention on Cluster munitions and international humanitarian law," she had written in a letter to Federica Mogherini, then the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission.
Calling the government decision a "betrayal" of the trust of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Abrahams had also spoken about the "reported curfew, media blackout and lack of telephone or Internet connection" as well as the "house arrest of local politicians", all of which she termed as being "a huge concern".
Coming back to the present, the UK High Commission in contact with Indian authorities over the restriction placed on Abrahams.
"We are in contact with the Indian authorities to understand why Deborah Abrahams MP was denied entry to India. We provided consular assistance to her whilst she was in New Delhi Airport," said a British High Commission spokesperson in New Delhi.
(With inputs from agencies)
