Eastern Uttar Pradesh’s 57 seats go to polls in the sixth phase of assembly polls on March 3. A day before, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the voters in Robertsganj, in UP, that the still ongoing evacuation of citizens from Ukraine was possible due to “India’s rising strength”.
The final phase of voting is on March 7 and the results will be announced on March 10. This is the biggest push that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now giving as it hopes to retain power in UP. The push is led by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi who on March 2 even invoked “India’s rising power” and credited his government with being “able to evacuate citizens” from the Ukraine war zone. “It is due to India’s rising strength that we are able to safely evacuate our nationals stuck in Ukraine, for which we are running Operation Ganga,” PM Modi told the poll rally in Robertsganj, Uttar Pradesh. He attacked critics, especially the Congress, for questioning his government on the evacuation plan, “Those who questioned the valour of armed forces and ‘Make in India’ can’t make the country strong.”
The first flight out of Poland under Operation Ganga has departed from the Rzeszow Airport. We will not rest till we bring back every Indian. #General_In_Poland #OperationGanga pic.twitter.com/3lfOO8KgES
— General Vijay Kumar Singh (@Gen_VKSingh) March 1, 2022
With all hands on deck & the direction of PM @narendramodi Ji, we will get 3726 of our people back home today. Jai Hind! #OperationGanga https://t.co/83Rg0c9lAk
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) March 3, 2022
According to news reports, around 31 evacuation flights will be operated under ‘Operation Ganga’, to bring back more than 6,300 Indians stranded there. These include flights by Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, SpiceJet and the Indian Air Force, on some of the flights Union Ministers, such as Jyotiraditya Scondia, Smriti Irani, were seen on video welcoming students, updating them on the “good work” of the government etc. However, many students have continued sending distress messages regularly emphasising that they were stuck, some in bunkers, and were yet to receive help or information from Indian government officials.
According to news reports, over 600 Indian students are currently stranded at Sumy State University, close to the Russian border. A student Viraj Walde, who hails from Nagpur in Maharashtra and who is currently studying in the fourth year medical course in that university, told the media on March 2, “The embassy has neither evacuated us nor given any assurance to that effect. Since the last five days, there has been continuous firing, shelling and bombing in the city.” He added, “Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, temporary advisories were given to the students and the university informed us that those having exams can wait. Hence, we waited for the exams to start. But now, the students are terrified and their mental state is deteriorating. Food and drinking water supplies are depleting. Even the banks and ATMs are running out of cash.” Other students are sharing similar stories.
“हमें कोई हेल्प नहीं मिली… 3 दिन तक हम भूखे-प्यासे 31 किलोमीटर तक पैदल चले”
Ukraine से भारत आई छात्रा ने बताई अपनी आपबीती @Pallavi_1818 #IndiansInUkraine pic.twitter.com/ehQRzwajg4
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) March 2, 2022
India has once again abstained from voting against Russia at UNGA
Resolution ES-11/1 adopted. pic.twitter.com/P9HcvxfvMf
— UN GA President (@UN_PGA) March 2, 2022
Just in: India abstains (once again) from voting against Russia at UNGA. 141 in favour, 5 against, 35 abstentions. Indian PR Tirumurti to speak shortly for Explanation of Vote. pic.twitter.com/23i1tazfEp
— Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) March 2, 2022
The Indian Embassy in Ukraine has also issued an urgent advisory to all Indians to leave Kharkiv immediately, and reach the designated safe zones. However it did not clarify how the stranded Indians were to reach if they did not have access to transport.
URGENT ADVISORY TO ALL INDIAN NATIONALS IN KHARKIV.
FOR THEIR SAFETY AND SECURITY THEY MUST LEAVE KHARKIV IMMEDIATELY.
PROCEED TO PESOCHIN, BABAYE AND BEZLYUDOVKA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES THEY MUST REACH THESE SETTLEMENTS *BY 1800 HRS (UKRAINIAN TIME) TODAY*.— India in Ukraine (@IndiainUkraine) March 2, 2022
Ironically, while the PM was invoking rescue efforts from Ukraine, a student who hails from Uttar Pradesh was trolled when she asked GoI for help in a distress video sent from there. Vaishali Yadav, an MBBS student from Ivano Frankivsk National Medical University, had appealed to the Government of India to rescue the thousands of students stuck in Ukraine. But the right-wing ecosystem, that does not take kindly to anything that showcases the ineptitude of the regime, decided to focus instead on Yadav’s alleged dereliction of duty as Gram Pradhan and started a vitriolic campaign on Twitter against her. The 24-year-old had pursued her initial education in Hardoi and Lucknow, before she left to work towards earning an MBBS degree from Ukraine three years ago. Last year, she was reportedly elected Gram Pradhan from Hardoi. An Indian student has already been killed in Ukraine.
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