Sushma targets Rahul: Political row surfaces over killings of Indians in Iraq

Intense political backlash surfaced on Tuesday, March 20, 2018, over the deaths of 39 'missing and abducted Indians' in Iraq with the government and opposition parties trading charges on how best the "sensitive issue" could have been handled or was 'not handled'.
While opposition parties accused government for 'misleading the nation' on the issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi complimented External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and MoS Gen VK Singh. 

In a terse reaction, the Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala said,''The Modi Government has crossed limited of insensitivity in the matter of the 39 Indians abducted in Iraq by the ISIS" and questioned why the government, the External Affairs Ministry and the External Affairs Minister "misled the country and the family members of the victims".  

Endorsing similar sentiment, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury condoled the deaths of Indians killed most likely by terror outfit Islamic State and tweeted saying: "The question about why the BJP government kept giving them false hopes of being alive for past three years must be answered". For her part, Ms Swaraj denied having "misled the country" and also made a vitriolic attack against the Congress for disrupting the proceedings in Lok Sabha when she was to make a statement on the matter. She especially directed her ire against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for the unruly behaviour of the party MPs. 

Ms Swaraj asserted that the government "never misled" anyone nor gave any false hopes on the possibility of the survival of missing or abducted Indians. They were kidnapped in 2014 in Mosul, an IS infested hub.
She also said two heads of states have said earlier that "they (abducted Indians) were not killed".

Addressing a press conference here - shortly after making a statement on the issue in Rajya Sabha, Ms Swaraj said the government has so far no details on whether these Indians were tortured or abused as "slaves".
"We did not get any information about these details.....but yes, we got information from two heads of states that they have not been killed," she said.
Asked whether government could have given credence to the version of one of the survivors Harjeet Masih that all 39 Indians have been killed, the Foreign Minister said, "Harjeet Masih is just an individual....he can easily say somebody is dead. But we are a government here. We could have taken his words and said easily that they are dead, but that would have been irresponsible".

"Khoye huye ho to maare huye samjhe jaaoge' yeh sarkar aisi nahi hai (Just because you are missing, you may be considered dead, this NDA government is not like this)," Ms Swaraj said.

 "A responsible government has to look for evidence ...Our efforts have actually helped us to reach logical conclusion. Today I can affirmatively say, yes they are dead. I have their DNA certificates to say so", she said.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also has said that, "the way the government gave high hopes to the families was not right".
In fact, Harjeet courted controversy in 2015 - when months after government had asserted that efforts were still on to 'find' the missing Indians - mostly construction workers -  he had said all those abducted have been killed.
Speaking to the press at the Mohali residence of AAP leader Bhagwant Mann, Masih had said those ill-fated Indians were all shot a few days after they were abducted.
To a question here onTuesday, Ms Swaraj denied that Harjeet Masih was harassed. "There is no harassment...He was kept in protective custody only".

The story of lone survivor - Harjeet Masih - in the crisis in Iraq when 39 Indians first went missing in 2014 and now declared dead is turning curious and even murkier to an extent.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj - fielding volleys of questions on 28-year-old Masih who had managed to escape - told a press conference here that his version could not be given much credence.
"When Gen VK Singh (Minister for State for External Affairs) went there, the company owners said he changed his name into Ali and with a Bangladeshi visa, he escaped," Ms Swaraj told a press conference answering a pointed question.
Ms Swaraj was asked how could she be so certain that anything Harjeet Masih said was a "lie".
She also said: "I am satisfied that I had stated that I will declare them (39 missing Indians) dead only on the day I have concrete evidence, I kept my word. I will get my closure when I would hand over the mortal remains to their families and they receive proper last rites".       
"We had been saying that we neither have the evidence of them being alive nor the evidence of them being dead. We maintained this in 2014 and 2017. We did not keep anyone in dark. We gave no false hopes," she said.
To another question, Ms Swaraj denied that Harjeet Masih was harassed. "There is no harassment...He was kept in protective custody only".
In fact, Harjeet courted controversy in 2015 - when months after government had asserted that efforts were still on to find whether missing Indians - mostly construction workers -  he said all those abducted have been killed.
Speaking to the press at the Mohali residence of AAP leader Bhagwant Mann, Masih had said those ill-fated Indians were all shot a few days after they were abducted, and chances of their survival were “bleak”.

Slamming Congress members staging unruly scenes in the Lok Sabha, Ms Swaraj said: "For last few days the Congress party has been trying to give the impression that they are ready for a discussion on No Confidence motion. So what's that extra ordinary thing happened today .....I can understand only one reason. After seeing the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha, the Congress president (Rahul Gandhi) must have felt how this was allowed....So he disallowed the similar scene in Lok Sabha".
"Today's behaviour by Congress members in the House was of immense low ebb and it crossed politics of lowest nature (occhey rajniti)," she remarked.
Both in the Rajya and later at a press conference later, she said of the 39 Indians who went missing around June in 2014 - DNA tests conducted has confirmed that samples of 38 people have matched and one person Raju Yadav from Bihar has matched only 70 per cent.
"Of the 38 Indians, 27 were from Punjab, four from Himachal Pradesh, six from Bihar and two from West Bengal," Ms Swaraj said.
On whether some compensation may be announced for the families of the victims, Ms Swaraj said fist priority for the government is to reach help the bodies reach their destinations.
Minister of State for External Affairs Gen V K Singh will go to Iraq to bring back the mortal remains of the Indians killed by terror outfit Islamic State (IS) and the bodies will be also taken to the nearest kin in Pubjab, Himachal, Bihar and West Bengal, she said.

Sushma blames Rahul for Congress MPs unruly conduct in Lok Sabha 

Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday flayed Congress MPs and especially targeted its chief Rahul Gandhi for the unacceptable and unruly behaviour of the principal opposition party in Lok Sabha when she wanted to make a statement on the killing of 39 missing Indians in Iraq.
"For last few days the Congress party has been trying to give the impression that they are ready for a discussion on No Confidence motion. So what's that extra ordinary thing happened today .....I can understand only one reason. After seeing the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha, the Congress president (Rahul Gandhi) must have felt how this was allowed....A minister came and spoke and government's version and all attempts being made by it came on record. So he disallowed the similar scene in Lok Sabha," Ms Swaraj told reporters here.     
She said the unruly scenes staged by Congress MPs led by their chief whip in Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia at a time when she was to make a statement in such a sensitive issue "when I was sharing the information about the death of so many Indians after four years".
"Today's behaviour by Congress members in the House was of immense low ebb and it crossed politics of lowest nature (occhey rajniti)," she remarked.
"Deliberately he (Rahul Gandhi) instructed Jyotiraditya Scindia to ensure that Lok Sabha does not witness smooth transaction of proceedings," she said.
The vocal Minister maintained, "Jeetney bhari man sey mein Lok Sabha mein gayi thi; us-sey bhari manse lauti hoon (Friends, I had gone to Lok Sabha with a heavy heart but had to come out with a much pensive mood as Congress members did not allow me to make the statement)".
"Should we do politics over deaths and dead bodies," she asked and pointed out that the Congress members in Lok Sabha knew "very well what was the subject I was going to speak".
"The Lok Sabha had discussed the issue of missing Indians in Iraq earlier also. Today, I had answers to all their queries, but they (Congress MPs) declined to listen to me," Ms Swaraj complained.
"I want to know from Congress leaders what was the reason that forced them to disrupt the proceedings of the Lok Sabha today," she maintained.

ends (March 20, 2018)