Why 'Indian are hated abroad' sparks backlash

The post, which has gone viral, draws parallels between historical events and current global political trends, attracting both support and criticism from netizens

Entrepreneur and social media commentator Sarthak Ahuja has sparked widespread discussion after sharing an Instagram post questioning why Indians often face hostility in countries where they become economically successful.

In his post, Ahuja argued that whenever Indians emerge as one of the wealthiest communities in a foreign land, resentment begins to grow. He cited the example of East Africa in the early 20th century, when Indian labourers from Punjab and Gujarat were brought by the British to build railway lines in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. After the projects were completed, many Indians entered trade and professional services. By the 1970s, although they formed less than 1 per cent of the population, they contributed a significant share of taxes and dominated professions such as medicine, law and education.

Ahuja recalled the 1972 expulsion of Indians from Uganda by dictator Idi Amin, who accused them of taking away local jobs, a move he described as a political tactic to gain popular support. He said similar anti-Indian sentiments surfaced in Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, forcing many families to migrate to the UK and Canada. He also referred to the mass expulsion of Indians from Burma in the 1960s, which led nearly 3,00,000 people to return to India and rebuild their lives.

Connecting the past to the present, Ahuja noted that Indians are among the highest-earning ethnic groups in the US, the UK and Australia, arguing that current immigration debates, including H-1B visa restrictions, reflect age-old vote-bank politics.

The post drew mixed reactions online. While some users agreed with his analysis, others criticised the Indian diaspora, citing poor civic sense and questioning why Indians thrive abroad but struggle within India itself. One wrote: “The latest Indians are not richer and neither have civic sense. Forget western people, many sane minded Indians are hating these Indians.”

Another comment was “Amazing how indians do well everywhere else apart from india!”

“Well, civic sense is the only reason!” wrote one user.

A post shared by Sarthak Ahuja (@casarthakahuja)