Akhilesh Yadav ditches Harvard talk
Chidanand Rajghatta, TNN | Apr 27, 2013, 12.16 AM IST
Akhilesh Yadav opted out of the Harvard presentation at the last minute.
WASHINGTON: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav cancelled a presentation he was to make at Harvard University on Friday, a day after his cabinet colleague Mohammed Azam Khan was reportedly stopped for extended questioning at the Boston airport.
Yadav was listed as a panel speaker in the spring symposium of Harvard's South Asia Initiative on the subject "Harvard Without Borders: Mapping the Kumbh Mela." But evidently, Harvard's outlook on borders was not shared by the department of homeland security when it held up minister Khan at the airport. Yadav later opted out of the presentation at the last minute due to what organizers said was "unforeseen circumstances."
The organizers said Jawed Usmani (Uttar Pradesh chief secretary) would stand in for Akhilesh Yadav and Mohammed Azam Khan. Others listed in the panel of speakers are Prof Diana Eck, Prof Gregg Greenough and Prof Rahul Mehrotra, with Prof Tarun Khanna serving as moderator.
The extended questioning of India's VIPs, particularly those from the Muslim community, has become a hot button issue between New Delhi and Washington. Although the diplomatic corps on both sides smooth things over with glowing reviews of bilateral relations and frequently apologies for real or perceived excesses, the state department usually cedes to the department of homeland security, which calls the shots in matters of airport security even when there is diplomatic protocol involved.
US officials say on background that much of the misunderstanding stems from India's "VIP culture" where ministers and officials claim diplomatic privileges - even when they have none - while objecting to even basic security and questioning. According to some accounts, Mohammed Azam Khan was flagged for secondary questioning which lasted for only ten minutes. But the frequency with which Indian Muslim personalities complain about airport questioning suggests there is more to it than meets the eye.
The Indian embassy has taken up the latest episode with the state department, officials said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Akhilesh-Yadav-ditches-Harvard-talk/articleshow/19746996.cms