Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday undermined India’s evacuation mission, stating that he would have appreciated Operation Ganga if the Indians were rescued from Ukraine.
The bizarre statement was made by the former UP CM while talking to ANI on 7th March 2022. Yadav called the evacuation mission by the Indian government a failure after thousands of Indians were brought back home safely from the strife-torn Ukraine.
Akhilesh Yadav called this operation a mere political stunt staged for gaining some advantage in the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. He said, “Don’t know which international recognition they are boasting about. They (BJP-led central government) failed to evacuate Indians. They named the evacuation as Operation Ganga because of the polls in Varanasi. Had they rescued our people directly from Ukraine, I would have appreciated it.”
He further said, “The Centre was unsuccessful in helping Indian students stuck in Ukraine and their families. We should always stand with those who have suffered injustice. The Indian government would talk about strength. These people would say that India is being recognized in the world. But they couldn’t evacuate the Indians stuck there.”
Taking a jibe on naming the operation after the holy river Ganga, Akhilesh Yadav said, “To hide their failure, they named the evacuation mission ‘Operation Ganga’. They did so because the election is in Varanasi. Ganga is in Mirzapur too.”
This statement by Akhilesh Yadav has come three days after the Indian government had successfully moved 13000 Indians out of Ukraine and brought them back home safely.