The Congress-led Opposition on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Modi government for being “insensitive” towards the families of 39 Indians killed in Iraq by giving them false hope of their wellbeing for more than three years.
Senior Congress leader Ambika Soni also hit out at External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for “playing politics” over the death of the 39 Indian nationals who were abducted and killed by the ISIS.
“If anyone is responsible for not bringing the 39 Indians back safely, it is Sushma Swaraj and the Modi government,” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters.
He said the Modi government has “crossed all limits of insensitivity” as it preferred to make the announcement on television rather than calling up every family and informing them individually.
Modi defence
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted saying the government “left no stone unturned in trying to trace and safely bring back those we lost in Mosul.”
“Every Indian grieves with those who lost their loved ones in Mosul. We stand in solidarity with the bereaved families and pay our respects to the Indians killed in Mosul. Our government remains fully committed towards ensuring the safety of our sisters and brothers overseas,” the PM said.
He also defended his colleagues Swaraj and V K Singh.
The angry Opposition attack came soon after Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha that the 39 Indian nationals, mostly from Punjab, were dead and that their bodies have been exhumed from a mass grave in Badoosh in Iraq.
Swaraj wanted to make a similar statement in the Lok Sabha but could not complete due to the noisy protests.
Sushma hits out
At a press conference, Swaraj slammed the Congress for protesting in Lok Sabha while she was speaking on the issue.
“In Rajya Sabha everyone listened to me patiently and in peace. Everyone paid tribute, I thought same would happen in Lok Sabha. But unlike the past few days of ruckus, today Congress led the protests under Jyotiraditya Scindia ji,” Swaraj said.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi expressed shock and offered his condolences to the family members of the deceased.
“I’m shocked to hear that 39 Indians who were in captivity since 2014, in Iraq, are now confirmed dead,” Gandhi said.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury also wanted the Modi government to clarify why it kept giving the families of the abductees false hope of being alive for the past three years.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad wanted the government to provide the aggrieved families financial assistance and employment.
