A war of words ensued between ruling BJP in Gujarat and the opposition Congress over Indians returning from Ukraine.
Even as the first batch of 56 students returned to Gujarat on Sunday, ministers and BJP leaders were ready to receive them in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat. The Gujarat government had arranged Volvo buses to bring these students from Mumbai and hired taxis to take them home.
Some Gujarat ministers received the students and waved green flags as they left for homes in taxis.
Taking a dig at the state government, Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil said it is an irony that the ministers are taking photographs with those who have returned while thousands of students are still stranded in Ukraine.
Gohil was in Dwarka to attend a three-day brain-storming session of the party. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had addressed the participants of the session on Saturday.
In a sharp reaction, Education Minister Jitubhai Vaghani claimed that the Congress is unable to appreciate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts. He said people and media know how much effort the Congress had put in when it was in power to bring back people from war-affected countries.
Pointing out that the Congress has been out of power in Gujarat for over two decades now, Vaghani said the party would lose 2022 assembly elections.
Meanwhile, there were tears of joy and a sense of relief as the students reunited with their parents and family members. They spoke about the ordeals they faced before returning home and said about how their friends were still waiting to be airlifted from Ukraine.
