Why did the Government of India not evacuate 20,000 Indian students from Ukraine in time, the Congress asked on Thursday, while its senior leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari called for an "unequivocal" condemnation of the Russian invasion.
In a tweet, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi shared a video of a student sharing her safety concerns and said, "The safety of 20,000 Indians stranded in Ukraine is paramount. Govt must expedite their evacuation.
Party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also echoed the sentiments and urged the government to immediately intervene.
"So Russia is conducting a“regime change” operation. How long can India,which had consistently opposed such interventions, stay silent? However much one appreciates Moscow’s legitimate security concerns,resort to war is impossible to accept or justify. We should demand they stop," tweeted Mr. Tharoor, who has been a former Minister of State for External Affairs.
Referring to an earlier statement of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar that India wouldn't accept any change of status quo in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) unilaterally, in another tweet, Mr. Tharoor said, "This should be our stand on Ukraine as well. Principles do not cease to be relevant depending on the identity of the invader".
‘Don’t make same mistake’
Mr. Tewari said India shouldn't make the same mistake of not condemning Soviet Union's invasion of Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Afghanistan in 1979.
"India should unequivocally condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine in unambiguous terms . There comes a time when you need to tell ‘friends’ they can’t indulge in Regime change . India’s conduct of international relations should be characterised by calling a spade a spade," he stated and the tagged the Prime Minister's Office. "In the 21 st century can you change status quo by force," he added.
While Mr. Tharoor talked of receiving desperate messages from stranded students and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene instead of focusing on elections, Mr. Tewari flagged the issue of students waiting outside the Indian Embassy in Kyiv in sub-zero temperatures, by sharing a video.
Taking to Twitter, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala questioned the government's "silence" on the Ukraine situation and the fate of the 20,000 Indian students who are pursuing professional courses like medicine and engineering in that country.
‘Students living in fear’
"It has become a habit of the Modi government to turn away it's face and remain silent during a difficult time. Our 20,000 students are living in fear, apprehension and threat to their lives. Why did the government not make arrangements for their safe return when there was time. Is this the Atmanirbhar mission?," he asked.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal pointed out that 2,000 students were from Kerala alone. In a letter to the External Affairs Minister, he sought the Ministry’s urgent intervention. “I would also urge you to make alternate evacuation routes for our citizens as Ukraine has closed its airspace,” he stated.
On February 16, Rajya Sabha member and Congress leader Vivek Tankha wrote to Mr. Jaishankar and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to deploy Vande Bharat flights to evacuate the Indian students in Ukraine.
Though Air India carried out evacuation flights to Ukraine on Tuesday evening and two more flights were planned on February 24 and 26, air services have now been suspended following the Russian invasion.
CPI general secretary D. Raja said that while war was not a solution for any geopolitical conflict in any part of the world, this ongoing situation on Russia-Ukraine border was forced by the U.S.’s expansionist tendencies. “The U.S. move to expand NATO to the east and any part of the world would be an eternal threat to world peace,” he stated. The conflict needed to be solved peacefully. He also urged the Government of India to do everything possible to ensure the safety of all Indian citizens living in Ukraine.
