Death of captives sparks verbal battle between govt, Opposition

NEWDELHI: A verbal battle erupted between the government and the Opposition over the handling of the abduction of 39 Indians in Iraq by the Islamic State four years ago, after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj told Parliament on Tuesday that the captives had been killed.

The Congress and other opposition parties called the government “insensitive” for announcing the deaths in Parliament before intimating families of the victims.

While the Congress also accused the government of handing out false hopes to the families, the external affairs ministry rejected the charge.

Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Narendra Modi government had “crossed all limits of insensitivity” by not calling up families of the 39 Indians who had been killed.

“The Indian government had on seven occasions told the families that they are alive. The question is why the Modi government misled the nation and the family members of those Indians kidnapped by the IS,” he said.

If the government has some humanity left, Sushma Swaraj should visit each family, Surjewala said, adding the government should also grant adequate compensation and an honourable funeral.

Swaraj had earlier lashed out at the Congress for preventing her from making a statement in the Lok Sabha, saying the main Opposition party had crossed all limits of low-level politics with its behaviour in the House.

“What I fail to understand is that when those who gave their assurance actually kept quiet, the pandemonium was created by the Congress,” she said.

“You must have been seen the Speaker saying a number of times whether there was no sensitivity here, why are you doing politics here?” asked Swaraj.

Jyotiraditya Scindia of the Congress was quick to hit back. He said: “Our members and those of other opposition parties were making one plea – kindly get the House to function. The AIADMK members were in the well of the House and they were the ones sloganeering. Why is the government not approaching them to resolve the logjam?

On criticism that the family members were not informed first, Swaraj said she followed Parliamentary procedures. “It was my duty to first inform the House,” she said.