UK writer Nitasha Kaul denied entry into India, sparks political spat

Following the British scholar and writer Nitasha Kaul's allegation that the Karnataka government had invited her to speak at a conference but that she was refused admission into India and deported from the Bengaluru airport, a verbal spat broke out between the Congress and the BJP.

The BJP-led Centre came under fire from Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad, who called Kaul's deportation "unfortunate" and an "insult" to the state of Karnataka. The Karnataka BJP, however, called Nitasha Kaul a "Pakistani sympathizer" and thanked security personnel at the immigration for apprehending an "anti-India element" on X.

"She (Nitasha Kaul) came here (Bengaluru) and landed at the airport, but she was denied entry without any valid reason. A state government in a federal system invites an academic who is of Indian origin but she was told by the central government that she cannot enter the country. Is it just because she doesn’t subscribe to your ideology? Is this dictatorship in the country today? Is there no freedom of expression or no freedom to participate in a debate on the Constitution?," Congress's Rizwan Arshad asked, while speaking to reporters.

He further said that time and again, the BJP attempts to drown voices that are trying to strengthen the Constitution and its features such as brotherhood, fraternity, inclusivity and equality. "That is what (the) BJP is against. That is what Sangh Parivar is against," Rizwan Arshad said.