NEW DELHI: Cruelty and insensitivity are now BJP's DNA, the Congress said on Friday, hitting out at the saffron party over "dead body takes more space" remark by its Karnataka MLA Arvind Bellad on bringing back the mortal remains of a student killed in war-torn Ukraine.
On March 1, a young Indian medical student, Naveen SG of Karnataka, was killed in shelling in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv when he ventured out to buy food for himself and fellow students.
The opposition party also asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the BJP approved of such "insensitive and heartless" remarks, and accused the Centre of garnering publicity for evacuating Indian students from the eastern European nation.
"Drunk with arrogance, power has gone into the head of heartless BJP leaders, particularly from Karnataka. (Union minister) Prahlad Joshi calls children in Ukraine as those 'who failed NEET'. Arvind Bellad has lost his balance. Insensitivity and cruelty are now BJP's DNA," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted.
He also said that "one thing is clear, in the Ukraine-Russian war, there is no plan to rescue the thousands of children who have been fighting for their life for the last nine days amid heavy bombing and missile attacks".
"Is all the focus from Ukraine to Uttar Pradesh (where assembly polls are being held) only on managing PR and saving image," Surejwala asked in another tweet in Hindi.
The Congress leader also shared a video of Union Minister Gen (retd) V K Singh and said that "ministers of the Modi government are telling children trapped for nine days in bombs/missile attacks why they did not come out earlier when an ultimatum was issued, come after travelling a long journey and when you come out of all the danger, we will then receive you".
"Is he a minister of the country or a travel agent?" Surjewala asked.
Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed asked whether the BJP and its leaders condoned the "heartless" remark made by Bellad.
"Does BJP condone this heartless comment. This man must be sacked immediately. Does the PM (prime minister) approve of such statements? If not, why hasn't any action been taken against him yet," she asked.
Bellad, who represents Hubli-Dharwad in the Karnataka assembly, stirred up a controversy with his comment that "a dead body takes up more space in a flight", forcing the Congress to attack the BJP.
He has also said that instead of a coffin, nearly eight to 10 people can be accommodated on a plane.
Mohamed, along with party spokesperson Gurdeep Sappal, said the Congress demands that the government immediately make public the number of students stranded in Ukraine, their locations and the steps taken to ensure their safe return.
"When our students are battling life and death, BJP ministers are making shameless and cruel statements insulting them," she said, citing remarks by Union ministers Joshi and Singh.
While Joshi said most children go abroad because "they fail NEET" in India, Singh has admitted that there are two students who have died and said these deaths are normal in war.
Mohamed asked, "are students expected to leave a war zone on their own without any help from the government? What explains such callousness from these ministers."
"The entire operation to evacuate students from Ukraine has been badly botched by the government, and instead of saving the lives of Indian citizens, self-promotion has become the number one priority of this government," she alleged.
Mohamed showed a video where students in Sumi are crying for help and they are without water, food and are desperate to leave, but cannot as they have to walk more than 50 kms to the Ukrainian border in the midst of snipers and missile attacks.
"The heartless, arrogant, obstinate, and cruel mindset and attitude of the Modi government has been exposed when it comes to evacuating the 20,000 Indian students stuck in Ukraine.
The Congress demands to know how many of the 20,000 children are still stuck in Ukraine and what is their exact location in which city? Which part of Ukraine -- Odessa, Sumi and Kharkiv -- are the students stuck in," she asked.
"PM says in a campaign rally that it is due to India's rising strength that we are safely able to evacuate our nationals.
Why is the PM chest thumping and using this evacuation for political mileage? So far, we have only done part of the evacuation but PM has already declared the operation successful," the Congress leader said.
The Congress demands to know what the mode of transportation is that is being arranged by the government to ensure that none of our citizens are left behind, she said, asking if the prime minister has spoken to Russia and Ukraine for the safe passage of "our children in the midst of ongoing attacks".
Senior Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari also shared a video of students stuck in Ukraine.
"Dear PM, listen to these children. Please speak to President (Vladimir) Putin and establish an evacuation route across the Russian frontlines. They are in clear and present danger and while Ukrainians are not holding them hostage they are clearly discriminating against Indians," he tweeted.
The Congress has been demanding safe and early evacuation of all Indian students from war-struck Ukraine and have attacked the BJP government for not taking steps earlier to ensure earlier evacuation of Indians.