EXTERNAL affairs minister S. M. Krishna's advice to students headed for Australia to be more selective about the courses they pick is baffling. Not known for being a good communicator, he has also made India's stand look inconsistent. Just this Sunday he had suggested that the attacks could impact bilateral ties. He now appears to blame the students by seemingly discovering a link between the courses students pursue and becoming the target of hate gangs. It does not stand to reason that someone studying molecular biology will be less vulnerable to attacks than one learning hairstyling.
It is also anybody's guess why, with his unsolicited counsel to the students, Mr Krishna has decided to take on the role of gatekeeper for Australia. That job surely belongs to the Australian Immigration Department. He has possibly confused between an avuncular role and a diplomatic one. Besides, he should know that a skill gained abroad and appropriately flaunted works wonders at home.
However some Australians have apparently blamed India and the media here for stirring up hysteria. But deaths, of which there have been two, do cause hysteria.
Indian students in Australia want New Delhi to be up to speed in getting a guarantee from Canberra that they will be safe and hold them to that. Statements from the Federation of Indian Students in Australia show an absence of faith and Mr Krishna has only made things look worse.
