While appreciating the efforts of the MEA and the calls that were made by PM Modi to his counterparts in Russia and Ukraine, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said that the main question is now the future of these students.

Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev said that the government should not use the term evacuation, as students had to walk to the borders through the conflict zone while the MEA officials did not go to the conflict area. Replying to the questions by the Members, Jaishankar said that students didn’t want to leave in the first place because universities threatened to cancel their degrees. “I care about the students’ future, whether you do or not,” Jaishankar said. He also said that the Ukrainian authorities gave the confusing messages and even President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself said that there was no need to panic.

“Let us also recognise that about 4,000 of them (Indian students) actually returned on their own due to our advisories,” he said. He also said that India’s focus was primarily on the evacuation of students which is more or less done, “We can now focus fully on diplomacy,” he added. Replying to the comment that Indian officials were not present in the conflict zone, the Minister said that was not correct and that Indian officials even went to Sumy and they escorted Indian students from the conflict area after coordinating with the local authorities. On the future of evacuated students from Ukraine, he said, “I can assure you that the government will approach this matter with the fullest sense of responsibility.”