Jaishankar briefs consultative panel on Ukraine crisis, oppn leaders say stand united with govt

PTI, Mar 3, 2022, 2:12 PM IST

The opposition stands united with the government, several leaders said on Thursday after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefed the consultative committee of his ministry on Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the evacuation of students from the war-hit nation. The meeting of the 21-member committee, chaired by Jaishankar, was attended by nine MPs from six parties and came in for fulsome praise from some leaders. ”We all are united,” Tharoor told reporters after the meeting that was also attended by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his party colleague Anand Sharma. ”Excellent meeting of the Consultative Committee on External Affairs this morning on #Ukraine. My thanks to @DrSJaishankar & his colleagues for a comprehensive briefing & candid responses to our questions &concerns. This is the spirit in which foreign policy should be run,” he added in a tweet.

”… Frank discussions took place in an amicable atmosphere, a reminder that when it comes to national interests we are all Indians first and foremost,” Tharoor said.

Echoing him, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi described the meeting as ”very good”. ”We were well briefed and stand united with the government,” she said YSR Congress MP Beeseti Venkata Satyavathi said the ministry in the meeting assured the MPs that stranded students would be evacuated in the next few days.