WITH the number of Indians seeking shelter in the US skyrocketing over the past three years, the country’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told its parliament that asylum seekers ‘denigrate’ the nation and society to ‘obtain personal gains’. It also said that as a democratic country, India gives opportunities to everyone to lawfully address their grievances.
Data released by the United States Department of Homeland Security recently revealed that 41,030 Indians applied for asylum in that country in FY2023, up from 4,330 in FY21. According to a report by The Times of India, sources in Indian agencies said nearly half of the applications originate from the western state of Gujarat.
Responding to a question raised by veteran parliamentarian Kapil Sibal in the Rajya Sabha or Upper House of the parliament, the MEA said, “The Government of India believes asylum seekers, while applying for asylum to a foreign government, denigrate the nation and society to obtain personal gains despite the fact that India, being a democratic country, provides avenues for everyone to redress their grievances lawfully.”
Accurate data not available, says MEA
Representing the MEA, the ministry’s junior minister Kirti Vardhan Singh also said that accurate data about the number of applications for asylum and the actual number of people given asylum or the grounds on which it is sought or granted is unavailable. According to him, foreign governments do not share such data due to laws related to privacy and protection of data.
The US report, published in October, said that people seeking asylum must meet the definition of ‘refugee’, among other requirements. The American law cited in the report defined a refugee as a person “who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of nationality (or country of last habitual residence, if stateless) because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion”.
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