As India rushes to evacuate citizens stranded in various parts of war-hit Ukraine, former Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday hit out at the BJP-led government, drawing a comparison with evacuation efforts undertaken during the Gulf War. The government is currently working to evacuate around 18,000 Indians who had been in Ukraine when the Russian Invasion began.

“More than 1,70, 000 Indians were evacuated from Iraq and Kuwait by the Govt of India during the Gulf War of 1990 through Air India. Just for your information,” the Trinamool Congress leader jibed. At the time, Inder Kumar Gujral had been the Foreign Minister and played a major role in securing Iraq’s co-operation in the evacuation efforts.

Over the past few days, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to chaotic scenes, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also lashed out at the government, accusing them of “not taking effective steps” to bring stranded Indians home.

He had also tweeted a purported video in which Ukrainian army personnel can be seen using force against the Indian students gathered at the country’s border. “My heart goes out to the Indian students suffering such violence and their family watching these videos. No parent should go through this. GOI must urgently share the detailed evacuation plan with those stranded as well as their families. We can’t abandon our own people,” the Congress leader had urged.