New Delhi, Jan 22 (PTI) Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak the truth to US President Donald Trump and protect the rights of over 20,000 fellow Indian immigrants, who face deportation after Trump’s announcement to deport all illegal immigrants.
In a post on X, he also tagged a video of a US Bishop urging President Trump to protect the immigrants and not separate them from their children, while asserting that all immigrants are not criminals.
“Dear Prime Minister Modi ji, please spare a few moments to watch Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde speaking the truth to President of the United States of America, Mr Donald Trump! “Modi ji, please understand that immigrants are not interlopers or intruders or trespassers. Particularly, over 20,000 fellow Indian immigrants have gone to the USA by sacrificing their scarce personal resources, family life and at times, personal choices in search of jobs, personal growth and a better life,” Surjewala said in his post.
The Congress leader said the immigrants, especially young boys and girls, toil tirelessly in a foreign land giving their best, harnessing their immense talent and contributing to the growth of the USA. Besides their huge intellectual capacity and profound talent, they also undertake small and menial jobs in the quest of bigger goals.
Their risk-taking capacity, huge guts and immeasurable determination to succeed cannot be described in words but should be measured by their unfathomable desire to “make it big” in face of every adversity and roadblock, he said.
“We, as a nation, partially failed them when we didn’t provide the same jobs, opportunities, respect and assimilation to them as government and people.
“By silently bowing down and accepting the diktats of the newly elected president of United States to extradite them, our Union Government is failing them again and all of us as a nation,” he said in his post.
Surjewala said that on one hand, the prime minister speaks of our ancient wisdom enshrined in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and on the other hand, “you, as PM, quietly fall in line in front of Mr Donald Trump, without caring for shattering of thousands of dreams and draining of hope.” “Do you forget this ancient wisdom at this crucial turning point in the lives of thousands of Indian immigrants? Do you forget that like India, the USA is also founded upon the tenets of equality, liberty, justice and fraternity and the blanket deportation order of our fellow Indian immigrants negates its essence, spirit and core ideology? “Do you forget the oath of the Constitution of India that you took to defend and protect every fellow Indian? If so, how can you shy away from speaking for over 20,000 fellow Indian immigrants? Do you forget that we, the great Indian nation (Bharat Varsh), are the biggest democracy on the planet, making it our bounden duty to speak for the principles of democracy, equality, justice and fraternity? Do you forget your ‘Dharma’ to speak for our principles, our ideals and our people?” he asked.
“So please rise up and face the president of the United States and do not be scared of speaking the truth or defending our fellow immigrant Indians or their rights.
“If nothing else, please learn from Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde and emulate her moral compass. Let it not matter that she is a Christian (before your troll army unleashes their vitriolic for me urging you to emulate a person of different faith),” he asserted, expressing hope that the government will stand with truth, justice and thousands of fellow immigrant Indians.
Surjewala also tagged a report claiming that over 20,000 Indian immigrants may be deported from the United States after Trump’s announcement.
