Politics
S Jaishankar, Siddaramaiah Trade Barbs On Twitter Over Former Chief Minister's "Grossly Irresponsible" Tweet
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah in a war of words on Twitter
India's External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar, and the former Karnataka chief minister, Siddaramaiah, recently faced off on Twitter over the safety of Indian citizens in violence-hit Sudan.
Siddaramaiah tweeted requesting the intervention of the Prime Minister, Home Minister, External Affairs Minister, and Karnataka Chief Minister in ensuring the safe return of 31 Hakki Pikki tribe members of Karnataka stranded in the troubled country.
"Hakki Pikkis in Sudan are left stranded without food since the last few days & the govt is yet to initiate action to bring them back," the former chief minister of Karnataka said in a follow-up tweet.
He urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to "immediately open diplomatic discussions & reach out to international agencies to ensure the well-being of Hakki Pikkis."
Taking offence, Jaishankar responded to Siddaramaiah's tweet, asserting that he was already engaged in bringing back stranded Indian nationals:
“Simply appalled at your tweet! There are lives at stake; don’t do politics. 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."
"It is grossly irresponsible of you to politicize their situation. No electoral goal justifies endangering Indians abroad," the External Affairs Minister added.
Siddaramaiah then shot back at Jaishankar: “If you are busy getting appalled please point us to the person who can help us bring our people back."
He said he had appealed to Jaishankar for help only because he was the External Affairs Minister.
The conflict in Sudan between the armed forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and a paramilitary force, known as the Rapid Support Forces and led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has resulted in the loss of 185 lives, with 1,800 people injured, as reported by the United Nations special representative for Sudan.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
