TMC questions Narendra Modi's silence over hate crimes in US

Mamata Banerjee wrote to Sushma Swaraj on Monday urging her to take the matter up with the highest US authorities.

New Delhi, March 9: The Trinamool Congress on Thursday questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the killings of Indians in the US and called upon the government to take a firm stand on the issue.

While Trinamool MPs from both houses demonstrated outside Parliament House over the issue, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asserted in the Lok Sabha that the Centre had taken "serious note" of the hate crimes and said the government will come out with a statement on the issue next week.

Speaking on the issue in the Lok Sabha, Trinamool veteran Saugata Roy said racist attacks including the killings of Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla and businessman Harnish Patel were a result of a "persistent hate campaign against Indians especially after the new (Donald Trump's) government came to power in the US".

"The central government, especially our very voluble, vocal and articulate Prime Minister is keeping a strange silence on the issue. Shouldn't the interests of the Indians working in the US be protected by the Indian government," said Roy.

"Are we not going to take proper steps to ensure that the hate campaign carried out by certain misguided section of the American society is stopped," asked Roy. "We hope the government will show the gumption and guts to stand up against the bullies in the US so that no more attacks take place on Indians and they are not deprived of their right to work there," he added.

Holding placards that read: "All Indians are our brothers and sisters, stop attacking them in USA," Trinamool MPs staged a demonstration condemning the attacks.

Earlier on Monday, Trinamool chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj urging her to take the matter up with the highest US authorities to prevent recurrences of such incidents.

The TMC leader was voicing concern over the killing of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas on February 22 in an apparent hate crime. A Sikh man, Deep Rai, who is an American citizen, was also fired at in a racial attack last week. He is out of danger. The US President has condemned the Kansas shooting in his first Union of State address.

IANS