It is a farce that in modern India, a nation whose leader prides himself on being a Vishwaguru, our own policies are compelling desperate citizens to seek fortunes abroad—only to be met with a degrading deportation process that strips them of dignity. The recent deportation in shackles is not an aberration but a damning indictment of a government that has lost sight of its primary duty of safeguarding its people.

At the crux of this crisis lies a disastrous government—one that blatantly ignores the plights of millions of Indians. Instead of channelling resources toward job creation, the current administration has fattened the pockets of the privileged and their corporate allies. This misguided strategy has left the average person grappling with stagnating wages, rampant unemployment, uncontrolled inflation, and an ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor. This attrition of opportunities leaves no choice but for many to risk life and liberty in pursuit of a better future.

The recent budget, a calculated farce that leaves the vulnerable stranded, shows the government's apathy. Instead of bolstering jobs, the administration has prioritised political grandstanding and corporate interests. The tragic consequence is a growing tide of illegal migration born from an economic void that has been allowed to fester. Ms Nirmala Sitharaman should be ashamed that she proudly presented a budget only saffron-tinged brains would applaud.

The same government that once boasted of transforming India into a global hub of opportunity is now turning around and failing to treat its returning citizens humanely. Even the location chosen for the flight to land was politically motivated. The numerical superiority of deported people from BJP-ruled states, especially PM's own Gujarat, witnesses that Hindus themselves don't want to be ruled by Hindutva-toting killers.

The response of the External Affairs Minister, Mr S Jaishankar, in the Parliament was nothing short of subservient. He, who claims to be the defender of Indian dignity on foreign soil and is the protagonist of social media clippings where he leaves foreigners speechless with his rhetoric, was not so vocal against the US when they sent his compatriots back in chains.

But what dignity are we talking about? If the PM, his party and its ilk had a shred of it, they would not have persecuted the citizens themselves. How can we expect someone who lights a state on fire and allows it to burn, denigrates those whom he cannot control as pests and filth and divides the people on religious and casteist lines to safeguard what he has promised?

According to the Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad, even the recent Mahakumbh disaster was just a "minor incident." Somehow, the gullible still want to continue to be deluded by religion. The PM, his Cabinet and the whole BJP may take any number of dips in the Ganges, but they won't be enough to wash away the iniquities that they have committed.