Jammu

The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) on Friday condemned an alleged objectionable social media post by the US Department of Homeland Security "asking 'Mr Singh' to self-deport" targeting Indians, particularly the Sikh community, and sought an appropriate response from the Centre.

JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma's reaction came after an advertisement posted by the Department of Homeland Security asking "Mr Singh" to self-deport sparked a controversy, with advocacy groups terming it racist and anti-American.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) used AI-generated imagery on X to push its campaign against unlicensed commercial drivers, featuring a brown-bearded man with a tagline: "Get off our roads, you don't know how to drive Mr Singh."

Sharma questioned the BJP and the Narendra Modi government over what he described as insulting treatment of Indians by the Donald Trump administration, recalling the close ties projected between Modi and Trump.

"India has not forgotten the campaign run by the Modi government in favour of Donald Trump with slogans like 'Abki baar, Trump sarkaar' and 'namaste Trump'. Was this the reward for such friendship -- to insult Indians and threaten them to 'get off our roads'?" Sharma told reporters here.

He said the nation also remembered the alleged "worst insult and treatment" meted out to Indians during the Trump administration when deported Indians were brought back to the country in handcuffs and chains on US military aircraft.

Recalling the tenure of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Sharma said slogans such as "Singh is King" resonated globally, and US Presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush praised Singh's leadership.

"Today, the country is facing such insults under Narendra Modi, who claims India is a 'Vishwaguru'," he said.

Sharma demanded that the Indian government take up the matter appropriately with the US authorities and make its position clear.

"The nation will no longer tolerate insults to Indians. The BJP and the Modi government must explain how long the people of India will have to face such treatment under your weak regime," he said.

The JKPCC called upon the Centre to protect the dignity of Indian citizens and respond firmly to any such statement or post issued by foreign governments or their agencies.

After widespread protests in America, the US Department of Homeland Security had to take down the post.

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The advertisement sparked a push back from Indian-American and Sikh advocacy groups and also gained support from Democratic leaders such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. "This is disgusting. Trump's government is trafficking in racist propaganda targeting the Sikh community," Newsom's press office said in a post on X.