Congress seeks to discuss Ukraine evacuation operation in Parliament

The top brass, however, has decided to tread cautiously on the issue to avoid any remarks on the Russian expansion, they added.

The Congress will seek a detailed discussion on the plight of Indian students and an alleged delay in their evacuation from war-hit Ukraine, during the second half of the Budget session which commenced on Monday, party leaders said.

India is among the few countries that haven’t criticised Russia’s actions of massing troops along the borders with Ukraine.

The top brass, however, has decided to tread cautiously on the issue to avoid any remarks on the Russian expansion, they added.

“Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) has approved our plan to seek a discussion on the evacuation of students, but the leadership was very clear about avoiding any reference on the Russian expansion,” a senior leader familiar with the developments told HT, seeking anonymity.

India is among the few countries that haven’t criticised Russia’s actions of massing troops along the borders with Ukraine. At the UN Security Council, India has only expressed deep concern at the escalation of tension and called on all parties to exercise “utmost restraint” while stepping up diplomatic efforts to find a solution that ensures the “legitimate security interests” of all countries.

The Congress is careful about India and Russia’s relationship spanning over decades and across several sectors of bilateral cooperation. Given the larger strategic interests of India, the Congress, whose governments had maintained cordial ties with Soviet and Russian leaders, has decided to refrain from making any statement on the war.

The party has, so far, appealed for peace and humanitarian relief and mostly blamed the Centre for alleged delay in evacuating its citizens from the war-hit country,

In Parliament on Monday, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi asked Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan about the future of the medical students who had to return from Ukraine.

“Many Indian students have returned from Ukraine and we are worried about their future. especially those, who are in their fifth or sixth semesters,” Gogoi said.

Pradhan said he expected Gogoi to praise the Centre’s Operation Ganga to evacuate Indians from Ukraine: He then replied: “...the government will consider how to make these students qualified doctors.”