Evacuate 20K students stranded in Ukraine: Congress to Centre
New Delhi: As the crisis in Ukraine deepens, the Congress has questioned the government's silence over the fate of over 20,000 students stranded in Ukraine. Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari asked the Centre to condemn the Russian invasion and asked why the government didn't evacuate 20,000 Indian students from Ukraine in time.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, in a tweet, said, "So Russia is conducting a "regime change" operation. How long can India, which has 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."
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, former Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs 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 the same mistake."
Condemning Pakistan PM Imran Khan over his Russia tour, Congress MP said, "If Imran Khan has any self-respect, he will do what Vajpayee Sahib did when China attacked Vietnam during his 1979 visit. He should cancel his trip immediately and go home. Otherwise he is complicit in the invasion."
Another Congress leader Manish Tewari said, "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"
Tewari also said that India shouldn't make the same mistake of not condemning the Soviet Union's invasion of Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Afghanistan in 1979.
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.
"It has become a habit of the Modi government to turn away its face and remain silent during a difficult time. Our 20,000 students are living in fear 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," Surjewala said.
Raising the issue of Kerala students stranded in Ukraine, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal has written a letter to Union External Affairs S Jaishankar and asked for his urgent intervention in evacuation of over 2,000 students belonging to Kerala alone.
