राजनीति

On Sudan clashes, Siddaramaiah hits back at ‘appalled’ Jaishankar

If external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was ‘busy getting appalled,’ he must point to the person who can help bring back people from Karnataka stuck in civil war-hit Sudan, former chief minister Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday.

Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah speaks to the media on Congress protest rally, in Bengaluru .

“Since you are the External Affairs Minister I have appealed you for help. If you are busy getting appalled please point us to the person who can help us bring our people back,” tweeted Siddaramaiah.

“Since the fighting started on April 14th, the Embassy of India in Khartoum has been continuously in touch with most Indian nationals and PIOs in Sudan,” the external affairs minister noted.

“It is grossly irresponsible of you to politicize their situation. No electoral goal justifies endangering Indians abroad,” the BJP leader added, referring to the May 10 assembly election in Karnataka, where his party is seeking a re-election, and the Congress, a return to power.

Earlier in the day, citing reports that 31 people from the southern state's Hakki Pikki tribe were stuck in the African nation, which is witnessing between the paramilitary troops and army, Siddaramaiah to the BJP-run Union government to ‘immediately intervene & ensure their safe return.’

He also extended his condolences to an Indian citizen who after sustaining a bullet injury as the two sides battled each other. The deceased, Albert Augustine, was working with the Dal Group Company in Sudan, and died on April 16, a day after he was hit by a stray bullet.

Ahead of the Karnataka election, a war of words has broken out between the two parties over the issue of ‘Kannadigas stuck in Sudan.’ The grand old party has the saffron party for not making any effort to rescue the 31 tribals, and branded it ‘anti-Kannadiga.’ , the BJP said it needed ‘no lessons on rescuing stranded Indians’ from the Congress.

The counting of votes for the 224-seat Karnataka assembly will take place on May 13, three days after the polling. Also, it is the only state in south India where the BJP has been in power.