It was mid December when the whole episode related to Devyani Khobragade took place and then responding to concerns expressed by members across party lines in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid condemned the US action and said he will not return to the House if he fails in his responsibility to bring back the arrested diplomat Devyani Khobragade.
Khurshid asserted that it will intervene "effectively and specifically" to ensure the return and restoration of dignity of its Deputy Consul General in New York who has been arrested on charges of visa rules violation.
Spelling out the series of steps initiated to scale down the privileges granted to US diplomats in India, he said there was a "conspiracy" in which Khobragade was "virtually trapped". He said the diplomat is "innocent" and the US action was unwarranted and added, "It is not illegality that she is accused of, but the illegality she refused to oblige," .
It is now middle of January 2014 , lot of water has passed through the river Ganga, even the the Arctic chill in North America have frozen over parts of the iconic Niagara Falls, yes the most important the Indian diplomat has been permitted to leave US and indeed Devyani Khobragade has returned to India,only after she was indicted for visa fraud and making false statements.
Most important the external affairs minister Salman Khurshid who said he will not return to the House if he fails in his responsibility to bring back the arrested diplomat Devyani Khobragade with the parliament in session,has been able to keep his words.
The Congress government of Manmohan Singh has been signalled time and again as to be the most weak in last several decades was eager not to look weak and the reactions therefore were more in proportion to the weak allegation rather than to issue at hand. The diplomatic row gives the Congress-led ruling alliance in Delhi an opportunity to assert itself and appear in command – an opportunity to dispel the popular perception that the government is drifting and unable to make any firm decisions.
INDIA HONEST as a nationalistic as well patriotic one make two simple question first : "Khurshid asserted that it will intervene "effectively and specifically" to ensure the return and restoration of dignity of its Deputy Consul General in New York" ; was he able to restore the dignity of the diplomat and so also the nation India ?
Second question to the outgoing Congress government : When the nation is on the verge of one most important change of guard, that is at best in next four months, what right or the proprietary it holds as a political party, to batter/jeopardise the long time strategic relationship with the most important super power US, even to such a bitter level on a tiny matter of a procedural wrong, which is common as per the US law and at the land of US ,moreover Devyani Khobragade has still to prove her innocence ?
IH adds further,it is argued that in his zest to support Devyani Khobragade overboard, Salman Khurshid has misjudged its target as, "It is no longer an issue of an individual, but the sovereignty of a nation is involved,", but what is felt after the month-long fiasco that it has roiled relations between the two countries, which were once called as one of the defining and indispensable of the 21st century by US President Barack Obama.
It is one of the worst diplomatic failure of Indian government in recent times. Was it an non-visionary politician Khurshid's personal whimsical vendetta show off before retirement ? Nation will sure want to know.