Shashi Tharoor, Indian ministry of state of external affairs has used Twitter account once again to show his displeasure of the new visa norms.
Under the previous rule foreigners with a 5 or 10 year visa could stay in the county for 180 days before the have to leave and allowed to reenter. They would simply fly to a neighbouring county and fly back in again. The rule remains the same except after the 180 day limit. Foreigners would need to leave and not return before two months.
Foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said last week the new guidelines were issued "to facilitate bonafide tourists" and that immigration authorities could still allow tourists who leave India to re-enter if they produced a "detailed itinerary" and ticket bookings.
The ministry is probing why its Chicago consulate granted multiple visas to a Pakistani-American, David Coleman Headley, who is accused of helping plan the Mumbai siege in which 166 people died.
Tharoor said the new visa rules would alienate tourists and cost the economy millions of dollars.
But Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna rebuked the junior minister, saying such sensitive policy matters should not be discussed on the Internet.
"If there are any (negative) perceptions, then I think they should be sorted out within the four walls of the two ministries," said Krishna, referring to the foreign and home ministries.
Tharoor, a former UN undersecretary general, defended himself in Monday's edition of the Hindustan Times newspaper, saying he was only drawing attention to the larger debate on security.
Tharoor ignited controversy in September when he joked on Twitter about flying economy class with "holy cow" politicians in response to new government austerity measures.
Cows are considered sacred in Hindu-majority India and Tharoor faced resignation calls from the opposition and even some members of his ruling Congress Party.
Tharoor tweeted yesterday asking whether tightening of the visa norms made any sense and if it would actually “protect” security as “(the) 26/11 killers had no visas”. He said this despite the government — and his own ministry — announcing a relaxation in the new visa rules last week.
Rebuking his ministerial colleague Shashi Tharoor for airing his opposition to new visa rules, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna on Monday said the government will go by the home ministry's guidelines and stressed that differences over issues should not be discussed in public.
"We have gone along with home ministry on the visa issue," Krishna told reporters when asked about Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor's remarks on Twitter, a social networking site, criticising the government for its new visa regulations.
New regulations were introduced November 4 in the wake of disclosures about the abuse of tourist visas by 26/11 suspect David Coleman Headley.
The home ministry issued a directive that foreign nationals having a long-term multi-entry Indian tourist visa must have a mandatory two-month gap between two visits. The new guidelines elicited protests from the US and British governments.
"Well, these issues are not to be discussed in public," Krishna said.
"If there are any perceptions, they should be sorted out within the four walls of the two ministries," he said.
In his tweets, Tharoor questioned whether the new visa restriction would actually strengthen security as the "26/11 killers had no visas".
"My only role is to object to them strongly. MEA (ministry of external affairs) officials are discussing them with MoHA (ministry of home affairs) which imposed them."
On December 26, Tharoor said: "Issue is not security vs (versus) tourism, but whether visa restrictions protect our security. 26/11 killers had no visas."
While tweeting, Tharoor had wondered whether tightening of the visa norms made any sense and if it would actually "protect" security as "26/11 killers had no visas".
Tharoor had asked whether India would allow terrorists to make the country a "less welcoming" destination. Krishna emphasised that there was no ambiguity on the visa issue and the MEA and Home Ministry had same views. "We have gone along with the Home Ministry with reference to the visa and other issues. As far as Ministry of External Affairs is concerned, there is no ambiguity," he said.
Meanwhile, unfazed by reservations from nations like the US and UK, the government made it clear that the tighter norms put in place in the wake of David Headley case will not be withdrawn as national security cannot be compromised with. The new rules have been formulated after considering all relevant aspects and giving the top most priority to national security, senior Home Ministry officials said.
Justifying tightening of rules, they cited changes made by several countries like the US and UK after terror strikes. They insisted that the government has not received any complaint from any country, including the US or the UK, over the new visa rules, but "clarity" had been sought by Washington which have been addressed. "When some foreign missions based in India sought clarity, we told them that if someone has to worry about tourists' arrival, it is India and not any other nation," the officials said.
The Tourism Ministry also dismissed Tharoor's concerns over tourism, saying the new rules will have no impact on the inflow of such visitors. "Tourists always come here on a short visit so this will not affect their arrivals," minister of state for tourism Sultan Ahmed said while dubbing Tharoor's tweet as a "joke".