New Delhi, July 24: Cutting across party lines, leaders on Friday reacted sharply to the US Transportation Security Administration’s statement that frisking of former President Abdul Kalam was “in compliance” with American regulatory requirements.
BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy wondered “whether such things are happening due to the ‘kneel down before US’ policy of the UPA government”.
“Government should give a thorough reply on this matter. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will have to give a clarification on the issue,” the former civil aviation minister said.
He also sought to know whether the government is properly maintaining its protocol list or not. Terming the incident of Kalam being frisked by staff of a US airlines as “sad”, NCP MP Supria Sule said,” there is a protocol and airlines have to follow the guidelines enforced by the operating country”.
Congress MP JP Agrawal said, “If it (following protocol in frisking) is not in their (US) law, they should bring amendments into it.”
BJP MP Vinay Katiyar and former Minister of State for External Affairs Digvijay Singh even called for a similar treatment to US dignitaries if the Americans do not follow protocol for Indian VIPs.
“There is a greater threat of terrorism in our country than in the US. If the US airline companies do not follow protocol for our dignitaries, we may also do the same to their dignitaries,” Katiyar said.
Singh, Independent MP from Bihar, said, “we will face this problem as long we do not use protocol as a weapon of diplomacy.
“When I was in foreign ministry, we have done it and then our Foreign Minister was not frisked. We will have to adopt a policy if such things happen to our dignitaries, the same treatment will be meted out to their dignitaries as well,” Singh said.
Rajya Sabha member from Congress Rajiv Shukla, however said, “the civil aviation ministry is competent to take whatever action is required. Let us leave it to them. They have already lodged an FIR.”
Earlier, the US body had argued that TSA requires all passengers and their accessible property to be screened for any goods listed on the prohibited items list.
“There are reports that the government of India has an official list of VIPs and their spouses that are exempted from pre-board screening procedures. However, such a list does not mirror US requirements for passengers that are exempted from pre-board screening when travelling aboard the US commercial aircraft,” it said.
“While travelling from an international location to the US on a US commercial aircraft, former heads of state and other VIPs are screened according to the same screening procedure as for any other passenger,” it added.
–Agencies