Ukraine crisis: India calls for immediate cessation of violence
says all differences can only be bridged through honest dialogue
United Nations(PTI): India has said that it was deeply concerned over the deteriorating situation in Ukraine and reiterated its call for immediate cessation of violence and end to hostilities, saying all differences can only be bridged through honest, sincere and sustained dialogue.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti told a rare emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on Ukraine convened on Monday that New Delhi is doing whatever it can to undertake immediate and urgent evacuation efforts of Indian nationals still stranded in Ukraine.
"India is deeply concerned that the situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate. We reiterate our call for immediate cessation of violence and end to hostilities, Tirumurti said.
"My government firmly believes that there is no other choice but to return to the path of diplomacy, he said.
Noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advocated this strongly in his recent conversations with the leadership of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, Tirumurti said, "We reiterate our firm conviction that all differences can only be bridged through honest, sincere and sustained dialogue.
He said there is an urgent and pressing humanitarian situation developing in Ukraine.
India is doing whatever it can to undertake immediate and urgent evacuation efforts of Indian nationals who are still stranded in Ukraine. The safety and security of Indian nationals, including a large number of students, remains our top priority, he said.
He noted that the complex and uncertain situation at the border crossings is adversely impacting the uninterrupted and predictable movement of people.
This important humanitarian necessity must be immediately addressed, he said.
India thanked all neighbouring countries of Ukraine who have opened their borders for Indian citizens and given all facilities to Indian missions and their personnel to evacuate Indian nationals to their homeland.
"We stand ready to help those from our neighbours and developing countries who are also stranded in Ukraine and may seek assistance, he said.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
