Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday criticised the Centre, alleging that 115 of the 315 speakers cleared by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) for the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad were denied entry to India or had their visas cancelled, “apparently on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs”.
Tharoor questioned the legal provisions under which the government made the decision, saying it was impossible to reverse the move as the conference was due to conclude the next day.
In a post on X, he said, “A disappointing footnote to the Bharat Summit proceedings: when I got to Hyderabad, I learned that 115 of the 315 speakers whom the External Affairs Ministry had cleared for the event ended up being refused entry to India or having their visas cancelled, apparently on the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
“It is completely unclear under what provision of law the government has taken such a drastic step, but it is obviously impossible to reverse it since the conference concludes tomorrow,” Tharoor wrote on social media. “What a shame that a proud democracy has become so insecure that it must stifle any voices it fears will be critical!”
Responses from the external affairs and home ministries are awaited.
The Congress MP’s remarks came two days after Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng Svendsen alleged that the Indian embassy in Oslo had stopped her from travelling to India for the conference and cancelled her visa.
Svendsen said that the embassy asked her not to travel 10 minutes before she was due to leave for the airport.
She said she had received an Indian visa and political clearance for the visit, but was subsequently told she would not be allowed to travel. She attributed the alleged decision to “orders from above” in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy on Thursday described the Bharat Summit as an “inclusive meeting” and said the journalist should not be stopped “just because” she had questioned the Prime Minister at a past event.
“We don’t have any threat to the nation. She is not a terrorist. We are one of the largest democratic countries. If at all, a country like India will set an example like this, what will happen to this world where the nations are not so democratic or secular,” he told PTI.
He also said the government should change its attitude and that deliberately targeting a journalist would be unacceptable.
The Bharat Summit, organised by the Congress in Hyderabad, is being held on November 13 and 14. The party’s announcement confirms those dates.
Organisers had said they expected more than 1,000 participants, including elected representatives, policymakers and intellectuals from over 70 countries.
