Link to Karan Thapar article is
here
The Editor Date 20.1.14
Hindustan Times
New Delhi
Please refer to the article "We'hv rushed in where
angels fear to tread" by Karan Thapar published in Sunday Hindustan Times dated 19.1.14.
The Khobragade episode has largely cooled down when Karan
has decided to take a quick snipe again at the Indian establishment by raising
the issue and that too in a partisan manner. It would have been better if
restraint was practiced. But journalist are known to go to any length to
establish their version of the truth as if fighting a war. Karan Thapar line of
arguments to prove that the story of the maid deserves more attention than the
insult heaped on the diplomat of sovereign nation is not tenable. He has missed
the forest for the trees. The issue here was largely that the conduct of the US
gravely impinged on the dignity and respect of a foreign diplomat of a strategic partner posted
on its soil. It was a question of mutual respect between friends. It was a
question of not condoning the misdemeanour
of a diplomat( here breaking US laws which itself is disputable) by finding a
way out. We must keep in mind that the so called crime was not of such a huge
dimension which threatened the existence of US. It was a matter of wage dispute
and not a matter of murder and terrorism. Remember Raymond Davis who got away
with murder. What the Indian Goverment was doing primarily was to make the US
realise that this sort of treatment to Indian diplomats would not be tolerated.
All its energy was focused to first extract Devyani Khorbagade from this mess.
And here Karan Thapar like a parrot keeps on repeating that the sob story of
the maid is more important. He came on CNNIBN several times and has never realised
that how much he is hurting the fight of the Indian Goverment by his campaign
for the maid. He talks about neutrality but he himself failed to maintain it by
siding with the maid only.
I find the article rather shallow and the points he raised
rather flimsy. Let us analyse it.
1. He says the response was not in favour of the maid since
she was not a dalit. It does not occur to him that the response rose out of
indignation on the treatment of our diplomat by a foreign Govt. Indians have
always stood together against any nation which dares to insult us or harm us.
Be it Pakistan or the strongest nation in the world. I do not understand how
caste has to do anything with it. It was pure patriotism. The results are here
to see. Devyani is back in India.
Regarding the maid the entire allegation is mired in
controversy. How is Karan Thapar so sure that the maid was cheated? According
to the facts which have emerged it seems that it was a well planned conspiracy
to immigrate to the US. First the maid disappears in the US then the family
leaves India with the help of US embassy. Both have now obtained permanent
residence status in the US. So who has suffered? Only Devyani Khobragade who
was made a scape goat in this matter. Therefore the response was due to two
factors. Calculated and preplanned act of insulting India and second due to the
charges being controversial due to circumstantial evidence pointing towards a
trap. Cast has nothing to do with it.
2. The main charge was that the maid was being paid below
the minimum US wage. The visa application contained wrong facts. Both these
allegations are not correct. The passport issued to Richards was a official
passport. It means that she was part of the diplomatic staff and therefore US
laws could not have applied to her. The fact should also be taken into consideration
that the dispute was pending before a Indian court which has restrained
Richards from proceeding against Khobragade in the US. The US had therefore had
no right to intervene in the dispute till this issue was pending in a Indian
court. The other thing to note is that Richards went to the US embassy to be
interviewed for visa issue. Why did she accept before the visa officer that
4500$ would be paid to her when she very well knew that this was not the case?
And why did the visa officer accept this if he knew that for the past several
years nobody is paying US minimum wages to domestic workers of diplomatic
staff? Also facts have emerged that the salary mentioned 4500$ in the visa application was relating to the
diplomat and not of the maid. The US Justice deptt committed a grave error. But
the most important fact is that the maid was being paid US minimum wages which is 9.75$ per hour. The
working hours stated in the contract signed and attached with the visa
application was 40 hours per month and the salary comes to 1560$ per month. The
maid wanted 30,000Rs( separate contract signed between the maid and Khobragade)
to be paid in India which amounts to 560$. She was being paid 560$ in India and
1000$ was being paid to her in New York. So there was no infringement of US
laws.Moreover her entire expenses of board and lodging and travelling expenses
were beared by the diplomat. So the entire sob story was part of a larger
immigration racket which is for all to see. I wish Karan Thapar would have
researched the issue before unnecessarily embarrassing the Indian Goverment.
3.Mr Karan Thapar has quoted a letter dated 4th
September,2013 written by the US State department to the Indian Embassy, New
York which according to him states that " action under US law us
imminent". This is entirely false. Nowhere it states that "action is
imminent". The letter states that the allegation should be probed. This is
a one sided letter. It is interesting to note that the Indian embassy lodged a
written complaint in June,13 informing the US State deptt that the maid Richard
has gone missing. It also informed that her passport has been revoked. It
requested the State department to help trace the maid since she was illegally
living in the US. There was no response from US deptt on this subject(inspite
of reminders ) and even the NYPD refused to register a missing person
complaint. Suddenly our embassy receives the above letter which is not a reply
about tracing of the missing maid but about allegations by the maid! This means
that the US State deptt was hiding the maid all along with the intention of
building a case against India. Therefore the action of the US State Department
in helping a fugitive instead of handing her over to the Indian Embassy amounts
to a criminal act.
Mr Thapar suggests that on receiving the 4th Sept letter the
diplomat should have been sent back to India is erroneous. Firstly because the
letter did not contain a warning of imminent arrest. Secondly because US was
silent on the status of the missing maid. Thirdly because withdrawal of the
diplomat meant accepting that some crime has been committed.
4. Now the question of equalising the privileges of US and Indian diplomats. Mr Karan Thapar
states that dont make a current problem to be the reason for correcting past
problems. But this what precisely happens in real life. You know a friend for
many years and has given him many privileges out of respect to him. One day your
friend slaps you in his own house since you opened his fridge and peeped
inside. According to him this was against the law prevalent in his house. Now
even if you were wrong this was no way to treat a long standing friend. So you
withdraw the privileges extended to him in the past. There is nothing wrong if
India has withdrawn the privileges. This was the right time when it had to
happen.
In the end the entire episode smacks of US arrogance,a deliberate plot to defame
India, blatant thrusting of US laws and absolute disregard for extending basic courtesy
to diplomats.
I am sure had Mr Karan Thapar been neutral and objective and
also researched the subject he would have written a more balanced article.
AK BUNDI
