Spell out clear strategy on evacuating Indians from Ukraine: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Demanding to spell out the "clear strategy" to the aggrieved families of students stranded in Ukraine, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has on Wednesday asked the government to disclose how many students have been evacuated and how many are still stranded in Ukraine.

"To avert further tragedy, the government must share the details about the number of students who have been evacuated and the number of students stranded in Ukraine. The government should also share a region-wise detailed evacuation plan," Gandhi said, adding that we owe a "clear 'strategy" and communication to the families involved.

Cornering the government over the Ukraine issue, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, in a tweet, said, "It is truly disheartening to see the Narendra Modi government asleep even after the death of an Indian student! Urgent steps should have been taken days ago, but our PM and his Ministers were busy finding 'aapda mein avsa' and running their PR campaign even in the middle of a

war crisis!"

Another Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram said that the government should stop its verbal balancing act and sternly demand that Russia stop immediately the bombing of key cities in Ukraine.

"If the bombing is stopped or paused, foreigners trapped in Ukraine may be able to leave the country," he said, adding that the government was late in ordering evacuation.

"The government was also guilty of encouraging Indians to believe that nothing untoward was likely to happen in Ukraine. The lives of thousands of Indians, including students, are in peril. India must speak up loudly and bravely and demand that Russia stop the bombing immediately," Chidambaram said.

However, the Opposition party has also launched a "SpeakUpForStudents" campaign on social media in favour of students to exert pressure on the government to take steps to ensure early safe evacuation of all Indian students from Ukraine