Let us not politicise the evacuation process: Former PM Deve Gowda

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Monday urged not to politicise the evacuation process from the war-torn Ukraine, as he called on everyone to work together.

The JD(S) patriarch in a series of tweets said, scoring points at this hour of crisis will make us look bad.

"I have been watching videos of our young citizens stranded in Ukraine making fervent pleas for evacuation. It is heart wrenching to see their plight. I can understand their desperation to get back home safely. But when a war is raging in that country and there is so much uncertainty on the ground, and when operational links are broken, it is only fair that we support our officers and embassies to focus on the job at hand," Gowda tweeted.

He said, he knows from experience that these operations can be tough and delicate.

"Let us not politicise the evacuation process. It will demoralise those conducting the operation. Scoring points at this hour of crisis will make us look bad. Let us work together," he added.

Recently, Gowda, who is also the member of Rajya Sabha, had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to instruct the External Affairs Ministry to transport all Indian citizens back to safety at the earliest, and while they are still stranded make adequate arrangements to take care of their well-being.

Stating that he is aware that the Indian government is already engaged in evacuating Indian citizens, especially students, he specifically shared a list of nearly a dozen medical students from his home district of Hassan in Karnataka, with their last known coordinates.

"It is a very difficult situation, but I am sure the government will leave no stone unturned to bring Indian citizens to safety," he had added in a letter dated February 26.