The BJP’s Atmanirbhar Bharat got a big shout out in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech today. The prime minister spoke about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing war as he addressed BJP workers and supporters after big wins in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur.
“The ongoing war is affecting every country across the world. India is on the side of peace and hopes that all problems are resolved through deliberations,” the PM said.
“India has a connection with the countries involved in the war – economically, security-wise, education-wise and politically. India’s various needs are connected to these countries,” he said, adding, “In this global context, amid these difficulties, when we look at this year’s budget, a belief arises that the country is moving ahead on the path of the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign. This sentiment has been further fueled by this year’s budget.”
“The aftermath of the (Ukraine-Russia) war will be borne by every country. We import oil such as sunflower oil. International prices of coal, gas, fertilizers are rising rapidly across the world,” the prime minister said.
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The prime minister also spoke about the plight of the Indian students in Ukraine, who had to embark on arduous journeys to escape the war and about people who tried to “break the morale of the country” in these testing times.
“It is unfortunate that even when thousands of Indian students and citizens were stranded in Ukraine, there was talk about breaking the morale of the country. These people also tried to malign Operation Ganga. This is a big concern for the future of India,” the PM said in an apparent jibe aimed at his critics.
According to Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, there were around 20,000 Indians in Ukraine, mostly students. As the former member of the erstwhile Soviet Union woke up to a pre-dawn invasion by its neighbour Russia on February 24, the Indians in that country, along with others, scrambled to escape overnight.
The Centre stepped in almost immediately, issuing advisories asking citizens to move west, into Ukraine’s neighbouring countries, and then flying them back to India on commercial and military flights. Union ministers were deputed to Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia to oversee and assist with the evacuation. The Indian Air Force was pressed into service – a C-17 Globemaster ferried students in batches over the days.
On Wednesday, the last batch of 600 students was evacuated from Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy. The group left on a special train from Lviv for Poland, from where they will be flown back to India.
Also Read: | All Indian students stranded in Sumy evacuated, says MEA