Laws being followed by Norway would be called "kidnapping" in India: Sushma

New Delhi, Feb 27 (ANI): Amid an ongoing controversy surrounding the custody of Indian children in Norway, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj on Monday said the laws being followed by Norway would be termed kidnapping in India.

"In our country, this kind of law is known as a law of kidnapping. The BJP would raise the issue on the first day of the Parliament (Budget) session, if the government fails to resolve the matter by then," Swaraj told media after meeting the grandparents of the children.

"The efforts done by government are lacking somewhere. I don't understand why are they not taking the issue seriously?. We are not ready to accept this kind of law," she added.

She further said that External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna had given an assurance on television that the children would return to their parents soon. But nothing of that kind has happened.

"We demand the government must act tough and take a firm and decisive action for the immediate return of children to India," she said.

Echoing similar statements, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Brinda Karat said: "This is a case of kidnapping. Our government should impose more pressure on them. If they don't do it then we will go to court. United nation are also criticizing them on their policies."

Meanwhile, special envoy Madhusudhan Ganapathi has been rushed to Norwayto meet Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store today.

Ganapathi, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been tasked to take up the matter and convey the government's views on the issue to the Norwegian authorities.

India had said that it would make all out efforts to ensure the early return of the children from Norway.

"We will make all out efforts to achieve the goal of getting the children back to India where they belong," Krishna had said recently.

Three-year-old Abhigyan and one-year-old Aishwarya have been placed under the care of two different foster families in Norway. The Norway authorities had said that the children were taken away as their parents, Sagarika and Anurup, were not taking proper care of them.

The parents, however, said the authorities took exception to cultural differences such as sleeping with the children and breastfeeding the daughter at scheduled times as opposed to when she cried. (ANI)