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House discusses govt evacuation effort in Ukraine
Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia countered criticism of the advisories issued by the Indian embassy regarding the situation in Ukraine and contended Indian citizens had been alerted well in time and before the launch of the Russian military operation.
Ruling party and opposition lawmakers squared off in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday on the situation in Ukraine and the country’s evacuation operation, with several ministers defending the government’s handling of the crisis.
Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia countered criticism of the advisories issued by the Indian embassy regarding the situation in Ukraine and contended Indian citizens had been alerted well in time and before the launch of the Russian military operation.
In addition to evacuating more than 22,000 Indian nationals amid a war, Operation Ganga – the government’s evacuation programme – brought back some 150 foreign nationals from 18 countries, Scindia, who was among four Union ministers sent as special envoys to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to supervise the drive to get citizens out safely, said.
Scindia lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in overseeing the evacuation programme and the “whole of government” approach. Modi had acted as the protector of every single Indian and told Union ministers to come back only after the last evacuation flight had taken off, he said.
Modi spoke to the leaders of Ukraine’s neighbouring countries to put in place measures to speedily evacuate Indian nationals, and contacted leaders of Russia and Ukraine regarding the creation of a safe corridor in areas witnessing hostilities, he added.
Opposition lawmakers had sought the discussion on the situation in Ukraine to get the government’s response on the geopolitical impact of the war. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor asked the government to use its influence to mediate a truce between Russia and Ukraine, but also criticised the Centre’s initial statements at the United Nations for failing to state the principles India has stood for.
Tharoor said there is great respect for India’s strategic autonomy but “our choices sometimes involve standing up for principles”. He said India shouldn’t shy away from taking a morally correct position in its foreign policy. India could offer itself in a “mediating capacity” and play a role in ending the conflict, he said.
Russia started the war and India cannot endorse Moscow’s actions, Tharoor pointed out. At the same time, he said India pays “top dollar” for Russian military hardware and this was not a one-way relationship.
Congress leader Manish Tewari criticised ministers who he said had made students shout slogans in favour of the government while being evacuated from Ukraine. He described this as a “self-defeating spectacle”. India, he noted, has a long history of conducting 23 such evacuations since 1962, including from Myanmar, Kuwait, Lebanon and Libya.
Tewari also referred to the killing of civilians in Bucha town and said the war in Ukraine will redefine world order like World War 2 and the Cold War. Russia, which has been a trusted friend that came to the aid of India in the most difficult times, had undoubtedly taken the “first coercive step” in Ukraine, he said.
Friends have to be told privately if “they are wrong”, so that they can “get their act together”, he said. At the same time, Ukraine miscalculated and should have been more sensitive to Russian concerns, he added.
