For the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Congress questioned why the government did not make provision for evacuation of the students from Ukraine.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday tweeted the video of a student stranded in Ukraine and said the government must expedite the evacuation of the students from the strife-torn country. “The safety of 20,000 Indians stranded in Ukraine is paramount,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
Also, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi gave their opinions on the political strategy India should take on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
The safety of 20,000 Indians stranded in Ukraine is paramount.
Govt must expedite their evacuation. pic.twitter.com/V1N3KEO0Qp
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 24, 2022
Congress Party in Kerala expresses deep concern about the safety of Indians students and residents stranded in Ukraine.
We have sought the Indian Government to do everything possible to evacuate stranded persons time sensitively.
Stay safe!
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) February 24, 2022
The Indian Embassy in Kyiv said they have made arrangements for all Indian students who were waiting in front of the embassy on Thursday morning.
“Some of the students were on their way to the airport but stopped in the middle after a bomb blast. The embassy had no response for those students. The university is asking us to come back and not to panic. They do not have any value for our lives. In fact, the Indian government has no concerns. Air tickets are priced at ₹60,000,” the student in the video shared by Rahul Gandhi said. The video was made before the airspace was shut off on Thursday after Russia attacked Ukraine.
On speaking about the political stance, Shashi Tharoor said India should not have gone silent. “Ukraine’s request to India to intervene in the matter is completely understandable. Our stand has been that we do not support invading other countries and regime change through violence and war. Russia is a friend and there could be some legitimate security concerns but for India to go suddenly silent on it will be seen as a disappointment by Ukraine and its friends. It’s a pity that India has gone silent. It does not reflect well when a country like India who aspires for UN Security Council seat goes completely silent on internationally recognized principles,” Shashi Tharoor told news agency ANI.
“If the Chinese march into our country we would want other countries to stand up for us. If Ukraine expects us to speak to Russians, then at least we should try and be counted on the right side of the issue,” Tharoor added.
Asaduddin Owaisi said that India’s decision will be crucial as economically India depends on global trade and benefits from low crude prices. “The decisions that we make today will affect the lives of millions of Indians. We can’t be blind to their interest and welfare,” Owaisi tweeted.
“There are several questions raised by the Ukraine crisis. We have to, first and foremost, safeguard our geopolitical and economic interests in an environment when China is occupying our territory in Ladakh and threatening us with more aggression. Do we wish to say that it is fine for a country’s sovereignty to be violated and its territory to be captured by a bigger power? Do we realize the implications of accepting that argument in the Indian context? We are a member of Quad. China has called it an Asian NATO. After what is happening in Europe, we should realize the significance of that statement. There are choices we made in foreign policy under the current government and we have to recognize their consequences,” Owaisi said.
“Economically, we depend on global trade and benefit from low crude prices. The decisions that we make today will affect the lives of millions of Indians. We can’t be blind to their interest and welfare. The onus is on the @PMOIndia govt to clarify the underlying principles, the shared values it espouses and the geopolitical and economic interests it is furthering. A policy of stunned silence and arrogant retorts, with presentations for Lok Sabha Speaker, is not going to help,” Owaisi added.
The embassy in Kyiv put out a statement asserting that it is open and operating round the clock ensuring the safety of all Indians. It also said that it is working out modalities on how Indians can be evacuated through neighboring nations along the western border of Ukraine since airspace has been shut.
Nearly 20,000 Indian students are still stranded in Ukraine as Kyiv closes air space. They should have been moved out of Ukraine weeks earlier before the war hit and the onus lies on the government of India for not foreseeing this crisis.