Varanasi: Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi today derided the US over the ill-treatment of an Indian diplomat saying insulting the Indian passport was akin to insulting the national flag.
"The way the Indian diplomat was ill-treated and handcuffed in public, and even forced to take off her clothes, shows they have no respect for Indian citizens in US," he said.
"The Indian passport has the same respect as the Indian flag in our country. It is surprising that US, which says India is its strategic partner as well as supportive friend, ill-treated an Indian diplomat in such a manner," Joshi said.
Indian Deputy Consul General in New York Devyani Khobragade was publicly arrested, handcuffed and strip searched last week for alleged visa fraud and underpaying her domestic assistant, causing a furore here with political parties demanding tit-for-tat action against the US.
Hardening its stand against the US, India has taken a series of steps to scale down the privileges granted to US diplomats after the incident.
Welcoming the steps taken by India, Joshi said, "For a long time, US has not been following the same respectful treatment towards our diplomats and citizens staying there."
Referring to a recent incident in China where Indians were held captive and later released after being allegedly forced to wear Chinese clothes, Joshi said the government did not take any tough stand against China in this matter.
"Such a weak government at the Centre cannot protect the rights of the citizens and cannot safeguard Indian borders," he said.
When asked about the Lokpal Bill, Joshi said a weak Bill has been passed in the Parliament.
"Its better to have no Lokpal than such a weak Lokpal, although I welcome this move," he said.
