Letters: Footing the bill

This refers to the news reports "MEA can't ignore Devyani's efficiency: Uttam Khobragade" and "Khurshid says US could have avoided mini-crisis" (January 13). While Uttam Khobragade, father of diplomat Devyani Khobragade, is entitled to fight the case in the US on behalf of his daughter, he cannot comment on her next posting since it is an issue for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to decide. While diplomats are expected to ensure the betterment of the relations between both the nations, here the diplomat's treatment of her servant has strained bilateral relations. There are other countries that have their consulates whose diplomats also employ domestic servants to run their homes. Why should this issue cause difficulties for the Indian consulate in the US alone? Reports elsewhere talk of such 14 more "time bombs" waiting to tick. The media also speaks of the MEA pleading with the finance ministry for treating domestic servants as government employees with attendant benefits. It means that the taxpayer will have to foot the bill for the domestic servants our diplomats take abroad. Is this perk justifiable? These are questions for the finance ministry, which examines all pay-related issues, keeping in view their costs and ramifications.

S Subramanyan Navi Mumbai

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