New Delhi, Mar 3 (PTI) CPI MP Binoy Viswam on Thursday said the Centre has been "unable to pre-empt" the situation in Ukraine, leaving thousands of Indians to "fend for themselves" in the war-torn country.

The CPI MP also accused the Union ministers trying to "steal the limelight" once the Indians reached safe zones "on their own".

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In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Viswam said while he appreciated the efforts of the government, its policies "have left a lot to be desired."

He said it is during the time of war that the "true character of a nation and its government is revealed."

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"It is deeply unfortunate that our government has been unable to pre-empt the situation in Ukraine, despite sufficient information about the pending war, leaving thousands of citizens to fend for themselves amidst intense crossfire and shelling.

"The response of the government has only been reactionary, leaving little scope for it to actively ensure safety and the timely evacuation of our people in Ukraine. Once Indians reached safe zones on their own, the government and its ministers wasted no opportunity to steal the limelight and gloss over the reality of what Indians faced in Ukraine," he said in the letter.

Calling the government's evacuation efforts "superficial", Viswam criticised statements of ministers blaming the students for failing to evacuate themselves on time and for questioning their academic competence.

He alleged that these statements sought to "demonize them for studying abroad."

"Despite our diplomatic ties with both Russia and Ukraine, the government was unable to provide actual help to those stranded there and the contradictory advisories issued by the Indian embassy typified the government's response as it first asked Indians to seek shelter and then gave them a few hours to reach safety, without any ground assistance from the Indian government.

"The government's efforts cannot only be restricted to operating flights from neighbouring countries of Ukraine and it is essential that we take every single action possible to help all Indians stranded within the territory of Ukraine," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)