Opposition, Media and film stars are busy maligning India’s image amidst Russia-Ukraine war

What was long feared has finally materialized. Russia has started the war with Ukraine and the entire globe is holding its breath and watching the conflict unfold in real-time in a digital metaverse. While the war is being waged thousands of kilometres away from India, the opposition, media, and film stars of the country have become overnight geopolitical experts, ordering the government to follow their lead. However, in the process, they are making India’s case weak on the global map, in a situation as delicate as this where there is no single solution. 

In recent times there has been no dearth of fake news peddlers who sit thousands of miles away from the country and spit venom against India and PM Modi rather maliciously and routinely. Spearheading such cults is Ashok Swain, whose disdain for PM Modi and India was evident in the ignoramus tweet.  

Swain said, “Putin calls out the bluff of India’s Dear Leader. Biden threatens to talk to Dear Leader to fall in line and openly go against Putin. Walking through this diplomatic complication is beyond Shah and Doval’s pay grade. And, the foreign minister is just a troll.” 

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Swain believes that there is one perfect solution to the ongoing conundrum where India comes out on top. While Mr Swain may not reveal his bold idea because, to be frank, he has no idea what it is, he continues to disparage the government for taking a middle road.  

Dhruv Rathee and his cut-throat geopolitical commentary

And then there are ‘jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none’ YouTubers like Dhruv Rathee who do not waste a heartbeat to paint Indians as the bad guys in the conflict.   

Rathee took to Twitter to post his stellar observation, “Can’t believe some Indians support Putin just because of his strongman image. Putin is turning out to be the Hitler of 21st Century. He is literally invading a helpless country and threatening the rest of the world with nuclear bombs.” 

Dhruv Rathee lives in Germany, the same country that Trump had taken to the cleaners for making bed with Russia via Gas pipelines and later claimed on the world stage that Berlin fights against the Russians. 

Rathee will not call out Germans because he understands his passport may be in trouble if he does so. However, just because some Indians support Putin, purely for India’s military and security reasons, they become the bad guys. 

Shiv Sena leaders and their ignoramus remarks

And then there are hobby singers turned politicians like Priyanka Chaturvedi who do not understand how diplomacy works. While the government is working round the clock to bring the stranded Indians back, Mrs Chaturvedi has a problem with the strategies used by the government. 

The Shiv Sena leader believes that it is not the right choice to include and inform the Ukrainian government regarding the evacuation of Indian students. 

Chaturvedi tweeted, “A country is in crisis, instead of speaking up for them, instead of ensuring like other nations we also prioritised evacuation of our people, our government is now asking Ukraine, which is fighting for its own existence to ensure the safety of the students! Tone deaf.” 

When schooled by BJP’s Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-Charge of Foreign Affairs Dept about the Foreign ministry’s efforts to bring the students back, a stingy Chaturvedi started using passive aggression to counter the arguments, “Fyi @vijai63, this isn’t about one-upmanship but a shared concern for stranded Indians. If we could have arranged more flights&sooner we wouldn’t have faced this situation. Also, I appreciate the steps taken by @MEAIndia as announced today. So please spare me this timeline fyi. 

Rahul Gandhi fangirl Sanjukta Basu who routinely gushes over Rahul’s chiselled abs took to Twitter to share her sarcasm. She tweeted, “Modi spoke to Putin on phone we are told. I hope he managed to discuss the most important question, how to use Russia Ukraine war in the UP election. Fayeda kaise utha sakte hai, aapada mein avsar kaise nikal sakte hai, Ukraine ke saath mera purana rishta.”

Media houses and their sheer stupidity and hypocrisy

Then there are stained media houses like NDTV, playing their propaganda at full volume in the middle of a war. Foreign Ministry through its embassy in Ukraine had released several notifications, asking the students to return to India. However, on February 20, one student talked to NDTV and remarked that she would love to stay put in the country. 

However, after the war has started, the same student is now blaming the government for inaction while NDTV is running the clip at full volume.

Other media houses are no better than are running downright embarrassing kickers and posters on their news bulletins. Zee News with its ‘Flower nahi, Fire hai Putin’ certainly took the cake.

Meanwhile, Arshad Warsi faced online flak for sharing a meme on the Russia-Ukraine crisis. “Self-explanatory… Golmaal was way ahead of its time,” he wrote, sharing a funny scene from Golmaal: Fun Unlimited. 

However, Twitter users were not amused by Arshad’s humour. “As much as I respect you as an artist, trying to make fun of a war situation is a little insensitive to my taste, sir,” one wrote. “I don’t think it’s time for a meme! Lives at stake,” another said.

New Delhi has no stake in the current situation

Whatever is happening in Ukraine is indeed sad. War is never the answer and nobody should have the misfortune to endure it. And our condolences are with the Ukrainians. However, the Government of India and its priority are the Indians. We cannot throw ourselves into the war and take sides. Russia is our biggest military supplier and a trusted ally and has stood by us in numerous conflicts over the years. 

However, most importantly, if NATO, the US, and Europe are not willing to roll the dice and help Ukraine, it does not make sense for New Delhi to get involved. An enraged Russia and a miffed Putin are not the allies India would want when facing the twin threat of Pakistan-China on our borders.  

 Read more: Biden decides to arm Ukraine’s militias and turns it into the next Afghanistan

Ukraine hasn’t been pro-India

As for Ukraine, the former USSR colony batted against India when the Vajpayee government conducted the Pokhran nuclear tests. Ukraine, along with 25 other countries, had stood against India’s security interests to express grave concern regarding the tests. Ukraine had also voted in favour of UN Resolution 1172 that had condemned the nuclear tests conducted by India.  

Similarly, Kyiv had called for UN intervention on Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. It doesn’t help Ukraine’s cause that it sells military equipment to Pakistan – India’s sworn enemy.  

https://twitter.com/Iyervval/status/1496707781184741376

PM Modi in his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday in a clever manner communicated what his government believed in and simultaneously distanced itself from the war. PM Modi remarked that the war could have been averted through compromise and added that it was entirely a Russia-NATO issue. India has played the situation in a just and calm manner, unlike what the doomsday activists would like the reader to believe.