‘Narrative?’ Why did US plane carrying deported Indians land in Amritsar & not Delhi, asks Congress

CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR/JALANDHAR: Congress questioned the central govt's decision to allow a US military aircraft carrying deported Indians to land in Amritsar instead of the national capital, saying the city was chosen keeping in mind "perception" and "narrative-building".
Congress' Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh, said more deportees belonged to other states, including Gujarat, than to Punjab. "When Punjab demands international flights, permissions are granted only to Delhi airports to deny Punjab economic benefits. But when it comes to running a defaming narrative, a US deportation flight lands in Punjab - even though most deportees are from Gujarat and Haryana," he wrote on X.

"The Gujarat model was projected, but now, for the sake of building narrative and perception, Amritsar was chosen as the destination," he said.
He asked why so many people from Gujarat were settling abroad illegally if the Gujarat model was so good. Pargat Singh also questioned Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann's silence on the issue and ridiculed his claims of "reverse migration".

Ajaypal Singh Brar, president of socio-political organisation Misl Satluj, described the deportations as a clear display of political and military hegemony by the Trump administration.
Brar said that using a military aircraft like the C-17 for deportation, despite being five to eight times more expensive than a civilian flight, was a deliberate attempt to assert dominance just days before PM Narendra Modi's visit to the US. He criticised the Centre's decision to allow the deportation flight to land in Amritsar instead of Delhi, calling it a face-saving move.
He argued that had the flight landed in the national capital, it would have been a major embarrassment for a govt that claimed to have strong ties with the US administration.
Thirty-one deportees are from Punjab, 33 from Gujarat, 35 from Haryana, three from Uttar Pradesh, and two from Maharashtra. Punjab Congress' Bholath legislator Sukhpal Singh Khaira condemned the "insensitive attitude" of CM Bhagwant Mann for not receiving scores of Punjabis deported from US.
Punjab minister for NRI affairs Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said: "I met the boys and the majority of them said they went to the US through agents in Dubai... There is a sword of deportation or jail hanging on the heads of Indians who moved there. PM Modi, who supported Trump during his election campaign, should now use his friendship to resolve the issue. What is the usefulness of this friendship if it cannot help Indian citizens in need," he added.