"Wake up Gentlemen": Congress MP questions party members silence on Punjabi students stranded in Ukraine

Congress MP Manish Tewari once again raises questions on his own party members from Punjab for keeping silence on the issue of Indian students stranded in Ukraine. Tagging the top leaders Punjab Congress including Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Sunil Jakhar and state incharge Harish Chaudhary, Manish Tewari asserted that "there is life beyond elections".

New Delhi: Congress MP Manish Tewari once again raises questions on his own party members from Punjab for keeping silent on the issue of Indian students stranded in Ukraine. Tagging the top leaders of Punjab Congress including Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Sunil Jakhar, and state in-charge Harish Chaudhary, Manish Tewari asserted that "there is life beyond elections".

In a series of tweets, the Punjab Congress MP stated, "I am appalled great leaders of INC Punjab Congress are nowhere to be seen/heard when thousands of our children our in jeopardy. Is it only Punjab MP’s who have to do heavy lifting?" Tiwary called out Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Kumar Jakhar, and party senior leader Harish Chaudhary for their silence on the evacuation issue.

Slamming the tall leaders of his own party, he added, "Reason to be in public life is public service. Elections are not beginning & end of Politics. Can’t you see the videos, hear the cries of our children. Is this your Punjab Model? I hang my head in shame at your sheer callousness. Wake up Gentlemen there is a life beyond elections."

However, he also asked the other parties who fought the recently held Assembly elections rigorously including Akali Dal, Aam Aadmi Party, and BJP to raise their voices for the safe evacuation of Indian students who have been stranded in Ukraine.

"And for that matter where are the rest of the political parties who fought the Punjab elections so passionately. @AamAadmiParty, @Akali_Dal_, @BJP4India Why are you MIA. If you care for Punjab stand up & be counted when our children are in clear & present danger," Tewari tweeted.

Apart from this, the Congress leader also took a different line from the collective opinion of his party when he said to the media that it is not a correct time to criticize the Government by alleging that it got late to take proper steps for the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine.

While speaking to the media, on Wednesday, he said, "This is not a correct time to criticize the Government. There is a border tension between Russia and Ukraine since 2014. No one had expected that this kind of warlike situation would erupted. Therefore, it would be wrong to say that Government of India got late to evacuate its students. Our only focus is on how our children can be brought back safely to their nation."

Meanwhile, a delegation of six Punjab Congress MPs today held a meeting with Minister of State, External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi at her residence to submit a memorandum for the safe evacuation of the students of their state from Ukraine as early as possible.

These MPs include Manish Tewari, Gurjit Aujla, Ravneet Bittu, Santokh Chaudhary, Amar Singh and Jasbir Singh Gill. They also given a list of those students with whom their families have lost all contacts.

Manish Tewari told the media, "We want to appeal to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he speaks to President Putin to find out a way through Russian frontlines to evacuate our students from Eastern Ukraine."

Gurjit Aujla, Congress MP from Amritsar, said to ETV Bharat that Indian Embassy should cooperate in every possible manner as the only hope left with the families of those stranded students is this Embassy. This statement was in reference to a video of a girl from Amritsar, who had returned from Ukraine, alleged that officials of the Indian Embassy is "lying" with the students.

Congress MP Santokh Chaudhary told ETV Bharat that they have sought time from External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, but have not received any response yet as the Congress MPs want to urge the Minister to bring back Indian students at the earliest.