Union minister Shekhawat says Indian students didn’t foresee a war, govt had issued advisories

Gajendra said that as the entire world had an anti-war mindset that the war will not happen, 'this credulity' may have been the reason the students stayed on

Indian students did not foresee a war happening when the Indian government had issued advisories in January and rather than being criticised, the Centre’s efforts at bringing stranded students back from Ukraine should be appreciated, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister, Ministry of Jal Shakti, said Wednesday.

“When the war was being apprehended in January, then (relevant) advisories were issued. Unfortunately, our children (students) were not able to assess conditions that could trigger a war. Then, they did not make a choice. Of the 20,000 only 4,000 opted to return home. They felt that they could lose academically,” Gajendra said, talking to journalists in Kolkata, on the sidelines of a regional conference on Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen.

Gajendra said that as the entire world had an anti-war mindset that the war will not happen, "this credulity" may have been the reason the students decided to stay on.

Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly criticised the BJP-led government at the Centre for not responding to the Ukraine crisis in time. Mamata questioned why the government didn’t take initiatives earlier to bring back Indian students from the region, if the government had known months ago that a war was likely.

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Addressing this particular allegation, Gajendra said that instead of being critical, the fact that the Indian government led by PM Modi "takes care of its citizens in such situations" should be appreciated. PM Modi himself talked to his Russian counterpart and availed of a ceasefire, in the midst of which Indian students were brought out of the war zone, Gajendra said.

Gajendra said if such an effort, instead of being appreciated, is politicised, then the country and the world understand such issues very well, and respond justly when the time comes.

When asked about the effects of war on the Indian economy, the minister said that in today’s world if such situations emerge, all countries get affected.

“It will be a little early to draw estimates, given the present war situation,” the minister said, adding that the Centre is working on mitigations of any problems that may surface. The important task right now—through Operation Ganga—is to see that every child (student) is brought back home, Gajendra said.

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