'Modi is a weak PM': Congress hits out after illegal Sikh immigrants arrive without turbans, patkas from US

NEW DELHI: Congress on Monday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a "weak PM," after dozens of

Sikhs deported from the United States

arrived at

Amritsar International Airport

over the weekend bare-headed, without turbans or patkas (headgear).
Taking to X, Congress shared a photo of PM Modi with the caption: "Narendra Modi ek kamzor pradhan mantri hai, (loosely translated as 'Narendra Modi is a weak PM')."

In a separate post, the party shared a video of deported illegal immigrants alongside images of PM Modi with US President Donald Trump, alleging, "Failed PM shook hands with his 'dear friend', while his own people got humiliated!"

According to reports, a

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee

(SGPC) team, with assistance from airport staff, arranged patkas for deported individuals. They also organised buses and langars to support them.

An SGPC official had on Saturday said that sufficient turbans were kept at the airport on Sunday in anticipation of another flight carrying deportees. The committee also planned to raise the issue with the US government.
A third US aircraft carrying 112 illegal Indian immigrants landed at Amritsar International Airport on Sunday, following two earlier flights that also deported Indian nationals. On February 5, a US military aircraft brought back 104 deportees, followed by another flight late Saturday night carrying 116 deportees.
The grand old party had previously raised questions about why the deportees were specifically flown to Amritsar, alleging a political motive behind the decision.
"Why have they picked Amritsar, especially when the air route of the planes is from the eastern side and they are crossing over the entire country to reach Amritsar? Is the agenda to defame Punjab?" Congress spokesperson Alok Sharma asked.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann also criticised the Centre, saying, “Do not make our holy city a deport center.” He had assured that the Punjab government has arranged transportation and food for the deportees and even extended support to those from Haryana.
In Sikhism, the turban is one of the five ‘kakars’—articles of faith—alongside ‘kesh’ (uncut hair and beard), ‘kangha’ (wooden comb), ‘kara’ (iron or steel bracelet), ‘kachhera’ (cotton undergarment), and ‘kirpan’ (curved sword or knife).
These five items were mandated by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 as symbols of Sikh identity and a Khalsa devotee’s commitment to the Sikh way of life (‘rehni’).