Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was missing in action, accusing the government of not taking effective measures to evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine.
“Conditions of Indians stranded in Ukraine are worsening. Yet, the Government of India is not taking effective steps to bring them home. As usual, PM is MIA (missing in action),” Rahul tweeted, posting a video of an Indian student appealing for pressure on the Modi government as no help was forthcoming.
Four flights have brought back some Indian students and the government is now sending four ministers to coordinate the evacuation efforts, but senior Congress leaders believe the intervention has come too late and is grossly insufficient.
Congress communications chief Randeep Surjewala said: “To begin with, the Indian government didn’t evacuate our citizens in time and no alternative plan was ready when the war began and airspace closed in Ukraine. Indians were compelled to reach borders of other countries in desperation to reach safety…. When the students reached the border, they were told to stay put where they are.”
He alleged: “While Modi was busy addressing election rallies, which is his topmost priority, the civil aviation minister was engaged in an enrolment drive for the BJP.”
The video Rahul posted showed a girl saying: “The embassy is not helping us. The officer named Vikram Kumar is disconnecting our phone calls. We sent him videos from Romanian border where girls were being beaten up. There is nobody to guide us. All other countries took away their citizens but the Indian government did nothing for us. They are saying students are being evacuated from the borders but the border is 800km away from where we are. Please don’t trust what the Indian media is saying. Start protesting; mount pressure on the Indian government so that we are saved.”
Posting another video showing Indian students being beaten up, Rahul tweeted: “My heart goes out to the Indian students suffering such violence and their family watching these videos. No parent should go through this. The Government of India must urgently share the detailed evacuation plan with those stranded as well as their families. We can’t abandon our own people. Our country needs action. PM only provides distraction.”
Priyanka Gandhi also posted a video in which a distraught girl from Uttar Pradesh explained their helplessness and alleged that the Russian army took away some Indian girls. Priyanka tweeted: “Narendra Modi, S Jaishankar… these videos are distressing. Whatever is needed, please bring back these children for God’s sake. The entire country is with these children and their families. Our earnest appeal to you is to bring them home safely.”
Surjewala said: “Almost all major countries were warning their citizens since January anticipating a war against Ukraine. They also started the evacuation process. The US issued an advisory for its citizens on January 23 itself, warning them against the possible military action. On February 12, the US asked its citizens to reach neighbouring countries by road. India issued the first advisory on February 15, asking students whose presence in Ukraine was not essential to leave. While other countries collected all the details in January, the Indian government asked citizens to submit their details to the embassy at that late stage.”
He added: “Again on February 16, the Indian embassy admitted that they received several complaints that no flight to India is available. The ticket price was raised to Rs 70,000. On February 18, the Indian embassy said three flights on February 22, 24 and 26 would operate from Kyiv to Delhi. On February 24, the war started, the government withdrew. The government had obviously learnt no lessons from the experience in Afghanistan.”
