Russia Ukraine Conflict: Mamata Banerjee hits out at Centre for delay in evacuating Indians from war-torn country

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (Illustration: Moneycontrol)

With the Centre claiming 60 percent of Indian students crossed Ukrainian borders, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on March 2 hit out at the government for delay in bringing back the students from a war-torn country.

Addressing the media, Mamata Banerjee said, "I don't want to criticize govt, especially for matters of external affairs, because we're one. But sometimes I've seen that external affairs matter, because of some coordination gap and political business, we're lagging behind and our students are stuck there."

She added, "Somebody died, some people are moving from here & there. somebody is waiting in bunkers, somebody is waiting in Romania, somebody is not getting food. They search for food and get killed. When the govt was aware of developments, why didn't they bring the students earlier?"

The West Bengal CM also hit PM Narendra Modi for making the evacuation of Indian students an election agenda. On being asked about her letter to the PM offering unconditional support to the government and suggestion for an all-party meeting if needed, she said, "He is busy with the UP elections. So, I am also going to UP. But I have done my duties after that."

Earlier in the day, while addressing an electoral rally in Uttar Pradesh's Robertsganj, PM Modi said that it was because of India's rising power that his government was able to evacuate citizens from war-torn Ukraine. "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."

The PM had also hit out at the opposition, especially the Congress, for criticising the government with regard to its efforts to bring home its citizens stuck in Ukraine and adjoining countries.

Meanwhile, Union Minister V Muraleedharan on Wednesday said that out of 20,000 stranded Indians in war-torn Ukraine, 6,000 have been brought back to the country so far and the Centre is making all efforts for the safe return of the remaining ones.

On March 1, an Indian student in Ukraine has lost his life due to military shelling in Kharkiv. The deceased has been identified as 22-year-old Naveen Shekhararappa Gyanagoudar, belonging to Karnataka's Haveri district.