BJP Counters Bhagwant Mann’s Allegations on Deportee Flights Landing in Amritsar

Amritsar, 15th February 2025: The BJP has responded to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s criticism regarding the landing of another aircraft carrying deported Indian nationals at Amritsar airport on Friday.

RP Singh addressed the issue on X, stating, “Amritsar is the nearest international airport for flights arriving from the USA. That is why the aircraft carrying deportees is landing there. Stop turning this into a political matter and spreading baseless conspiracy theories based on misinformation.”

Mann had earlier accused the central government of deliberately tarnishing Punjab’s image. “The BJP-led central government consistently discriminates against Punjab and seizes every opportunity to malign the state,” he remarked during a media interaction in Amritsar on Friday evening.

He further alleged that the move was part of a larger conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis. Questioning the decision to land the aircraft in Amritsar, Mann asked, “What is the basis for selecting Amritsar? The Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs should clarify this. Why not land it in the national capital? This is a deliberate attempt to target Punjab and its people.”

Highlighting that deportation is a national concern, Mann argued that the situation was being misrepresented to suggest that only Punjabis migrate illegally.

Following the first batch of deportations on February 5, many returnees, primarily from Punjab, expressed that they had attempted to migrate to the US in pursuit of better opportunities for their families.

However, their aspirations were shattered when they were apprehended at the US border and sent back in shackles. Numerous individuals from Punjab and other states, who used “donkey routes”—hazardous, illegal migration pathways—or spent large sums to enter the US through unauthorized means, now face deportation.