It is in crisis situations that make you value your main assets. The case of India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is an evident example. The way Dr S Jaishankar handled the Russia-Ukraine crisis is exemplary, and this is the reason why he is receiving accolades from the opposition as well. The recent addition to his fan club is Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.
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Jaishankar: The hero we needed and deserved
From the perspective of diplomacy, the Ukraine-Russia crisis is a very difficult situation to handle. There is an all-weather friend Russia, invading a democratic sovereign country Ukraine, which in turn is creating a humanitarian crisis in the whole world.
For India, the situation was even more intense as almost 20000 Indian nationals were stranded in war-torn Ukraine. But this time, India planned its evacuation while maintaining a neutral stand under a career diplomat, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
From the Indian side, Operation Ganga was launched to bring back stranded students. At a time, when superpower America and China abandoned their citizens, India was able to speed up the evacuation process.
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis is a diplomat’s nightmare, especially from India’s perspective. But India is thankful for having Dr S Jaishankar and the opposition leaders are accepting it too.
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Minister Jaishankar discussed the evacuation with the Opposition
A meeting of Consultative Committee on External Affairs was called to discuss the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The 21-member Consultative Committee on external affairs was headed by S. Jaishankar and includes Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Anand Sharma and Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi. Opposition leaders from six parties including Shashi Tharoor were part of this meeting.
After the meeting, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that a “good discussion happened on the strategic and humanitarian aspects of the issue.” He thanked all the members for expressing a “strong and unanimous message of support for efforts to bring back all Indians from Ukraine.”
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Shashi Tharoor: Latest addition to Jaishankar’s Fanclub
While Indians were singing praises for Jaishankar and his ministry’s efforts, Shashi Tharoor joined in.
After the meeting, Shashi Tharoor praised Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar. Without caring about the party line, Tharoor went on to say, “This is the spirit in which foreign policy should be run.”
He tweeted saying, “Excellent meeting of the Consultative Committee on External Affairs this mornings on Ukraine. My thanks to DR.S. Jaishankar and his colleagues for a comprehensive briefing and candid response to our questions and concerns . This is the spirit in which foreign policy should be run.”
Excellent meeting of the Consultative Committee on External Affairs this morning on #Ukraine. My thanks to @DrSJaishankar & his colleagues for a comprehensive briefing & candid responses to our questions &concerns. This is the spirit in which foreign policy should be run. pic.twitter.com/Y3T3UIrm9z
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 3, 2022
Later, in his tweets, he said that he had declined media requests for comments since the meeting was confidential. Also, he did urge MEA to issue a more detailed statement than usual.
He appreciated that the meeting took place in a constructive spirit and also applauded all the parties for their unified desire to see Indian nationals return home safely.
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In his tweet, he said, this meeting was a reminder that when it comes to national interests, all are Indians first and foremost. This came quite surprising to many as in the last month Rahul Gandhi was boasting about how India is just a union of states.
S. Jaishankar and his foreign ministry are leaving no stone unturned to bring stranded Indians back home. And on an issue like this when leaders stand shoulder to shoulder, it makes the citizens’ chests swell up with pride. This is one of the incidents in the history of the Modi Government when the good work is being appreciated by the opposition as well without any rant.