Once former External Affairs Minister late Sushma Swaraj said, “Even if you are stuck on the Mars, Indian Embassy there will help you.” Today, her words her doing rounds on the internet as the Government of India has put in all effort to bring back stranded citizens from conflict-hit Ukraine. Operation Ganga has been intensified by India. On the other hand, the beacon of Humanity said to be the ‘Superpower’ America has abandoned American citizens in the war-hit Ukraine.
Also Read: India’s bold statement to the US amidst the Ukraine-Russia war
Biden administration abandoned Americans
What is a nation’s priority? Its citizens. But in the case of America, Americans are not at all on the priority list. Once again, the United States has abandoned its citizens stranded in a warzone.
The United States made clear that it has no plans to evacuate its citizens and hence has guided the citizens stranded in Ukraine to depart immediately using ground transportation services, as air travel is not possible at the given time, due to the closure of Ukraine’s air space.
The US Embassy issued a travel advisory stating the same. The advisory read, “The U.S. government will not be able to evacuate U.S. citizens from Ukraine. Please review what the U.S. government can and cannot do to assist you in a crisis overseas. U.S. citizens may seek consular services, including requests for repatriation loans, passport, and visa services, at U.S. embassies and consulates in neighbouring countries.”
Biden administration’s decision to not evacuate its citizens from war-hit Ukraine is drawing flak. The people are reminded that the US allies witnessed the same fate in Afghanistan when the Taliban regime took over.
Biden should learn from India
The aforementioned statement of Sushma Swaraj is held true by the Narendra Modi Government in all prospects. India has initiated Operation Ganga to bring back stranded Indian citizens from Ukraine, the majority of them are students.
Under Operation Ganga, India has already evacuated 469 Indian nationals from Ukraine. Through this operation, the government is bringing back the Indian nationals free of cost. Special Air India flights have been organised by the Indian Government. Firstly, the Indian nationals are being evacuated to nearby countries and then are brought back to India through Air India flights.
This is not the first time that the Indian Government has evacuated its citizens from a foreign land. India evacuated around 4000 Indian nationals during the Yemen crisis in 2015. Not only Yemen, but India had also evacuated stranded citizens from Nepal during an earthquake, from Belgium during bombings, and from Libya during the civil war.
On the other hand, the ‘Superpower’ America has a history of abandoning its nationals and allies. America initiates unrest and flees after it, leaving the consequences to be faced by the locals. Not too long ago, America entered Afghanistan to establish democracy. But what did America do instead? It fuelled the fire and then left, letting Kabul fall to the Taliban.
India has gone all out in evacuating its citizens from war-hit Ukraine while superpower America has abandoned its nationals. American President Biden should learn from PM Narendra Modi, that nationals should be a priority for the nation.