‘CONCERNED’ MODI SHIELDS INDIANS IN TURBULENT TIMES

The narrators highlight PM Narendra Modi’s concern for the safety and return of Indian citizens when the Ukraine conflict erupted. He closely monitored the rescue and evacuation efforts for nearly 23,000 students. The Prime Minister personally intervened, engaging in tough negotiations with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to secure a solution for the safe passage of these young individuals and more...

PM Modi was instrumental in saving lives of 400 students - V Muraleedharan, Former MoS for external affairs

I remember during the last stages of ‘Operation Ganga’ to bring back Indians from the Russia-Ukraine conflict zone, there was a sort of logjam, and we were hard put to see through it. Over 400-odd students were stuck in Kharkiv, which was bang in the war zone and there were very limited options to yank them off safely from the region. On the one hand we had the eastern border of Russia where our MEA officials were present to take over and on the other we had the comparatively safer western border but both had their own issues. The road to the eastern border was damaged in the war and access was thus difficult, while the western border warranted covering at least 18-20 hours distance, that too through the conflict zone, which could harm our contingent. Here the PM himself intervened and had some hard negotiations with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to find out a solution for the safe passage of the youngsters. Eventually, a brief ceasefire in the passage zone was implemented by the governments. This was an unprecedented move the countries agreed upon and this was solely due to Modi ji’s involvement at the top level. His prime concern was the safety of Indians and he was ready to go to any extent for same. His international stature is so revered that countries listen to him. We had this brilliant proof at hand. The children were packed in 13-14 buses and all 400 of them were safely transported through those 18-20 hours to the western border, from where they were then moved to India by special flights. Not a single shelling happened on route that night. The students didn’t know the nitty-gritty of the operation. They had no clue how the PM himself was behind all this effort. And when they came to know about it later, they were awed and honoured and were short of words to express their gratitude to Modi ji.

Credit of Operation Ganga’s success goes to personal efforts of PM Modi - Piyush Goyal, Union Commerce Minister

I was witness to the concern and anxiety of Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the safety and safe return of Indian citizens when the Ukraine conflict broke out. As the government launched Operation Ganga, there were close to 22,000 Indians, most of them students, in the war zone and their safety was our first and foremost priority. PM Modi was intensely following the developments in the region and kept minute to minute tab on the latest, so that the operation could be carried out smoothly and successfully. The only and constant refrain of the PM during those days of evacuation was ‘I want all my people back in the country without a single harm coming to them.’ We ministers were instructed to ensure this. He sent a ministerial delegation to Ukraine and asked the ministers to take care of themselves without loading the embassy with the protocol so that their evacuation mission doesn’t get diluted in the process of hosting the delegation. Modi ji also personally activated the Indian diaspora in the region, including those in Romania or Poland and united them in the country’s effort to ensure the safe return of the children. He also contacted NGOs, human rights bodies and social organisations in the region for the purpose. I remember it was election time and the PM had commitments and obligations to his party and electioneering as well. Despite that, he convened a meeting on Operation Ganga every morning before starting his day’s itinerary and at the end of the day, again sat to review the progress of the mission. All through the day he would ring up intermittently and ask about the difficulties being faced and what was being done and how the operation was being conducted. Which PM can take out time and focus from all the day’s busy engagements to oversee an evacuation mission? Usually, a PM delegates these things to his ministers, but I for the first time saw a PM himself so meticulously planning and executing the whole process. The credit for the success of our Ukraine mission largely goes to the PM. Without his constant monitoring and active participation, it could not have been conducted so efficiently and in such a quick time. Modi ji didn’t stop at just getting the children back in India, he even personally monitored their return home and ensured they were safely settled with their parents. Only after that he could take a sigh of relief and say, yes the job is finally done. This is a unique effort by the prime minister of a country that inspires us all to do even better, by pushing the envelope and expanding our capacity.

‘Have seen PM Modi’s organisational skills from lowest to the highest level’ - Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out, I got a latenight call from our prime minister. He told me Kiren ji, you will have to prepare for going abroad tomorrow. I was a bit surprised at the urgency. Early the next morning, Modi ji took a meeting of four ministers and officials and briefed us that we would need to rush to Ukraine and monitor the rescue and evacuation process of close to 23,000 of our students studying in the country. We had to make the arrangements for our travel in just one day, right from visas to warm clothing and other protocols. As we couldn’t land directly in Ukraine, we were to handle the mission ‘Operation Ganga’ from neighbouring countries like Poland or Slovakia. It was biting cold there and we were not only to rescue the children but also ensure their safe stay in hotels and their urgent food and medical needs. Surprisingly. When we went there we found Modi ji was not only handling our itinerary, he was also in constant touch with embassy officials, NGOs and other coordinates in the neighbouring countries so that our operation could be smooth and efficient. Special planes were arranged for the safe transport of Indians and the IAF was activated. His coordination and liasoning was so perfect that even state heads and leaders of Ukraine and other countries appreciated this. We had seen Modi ji’s organisational skills at the party level, but this time we also saw from close quarters his organisational and tactical skills at the highest international level, that too at a time of grave crisis where everything is in flux. I can vouch for the fact that no other leader in his place could have handled the situation so calmly and dexterously. Not a single student faced any difficulty or suffered even a scratch and we were able to safely hand each of them over to their parents. Modi ji’s constant refrain was ‘no harm should come to any of our children’ and his constant endeavour and focus was on that, come what may. And this strong and clear stance of the PM paid off. We were secured and assured all through that when PM Modi is behind us, our operation would be smooth and successful.

COMPILED AND EDITED BY SHASHIKANT SHARMA