The plight of Indian citizens stuck in violence-hit Sudan has triggered a war of words between India's ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the main opposition, Congress.
On Tuesday, in a tweet, former Karnataka State chief and Congress politician Siddaramaiah said that 31 people from his state's Hakki Pikki tribe are stranded in Sudan. He appealed to the federal government to bring these citizens back.
External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, furiously retorted: "Simply appalled at your tweet! There are lives at stake; don’t do politics. Since the fighting started on 14 April, the Indian Embassy in Khartoum has been continuously in touch with most Indian Nationals and PIOs in Sudan."
Siddaramaiah, however, fired back: “If you are so busy being appalled, please point us in the direction of the person who can help us bring our people back.”
The former state chief said that he had appealed to Jaishankar because of the latter’s designation.
Khartoum is witnessing deadly fighting between, its Army and the RSF, in which at least 144 civilians have been killed, including one Indian national, after sustaining bullet injuries.
On Wednesday, the India Foreign Minister said that he discussed the situation in the violence-torn African country with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
India is watching the situation in Sudan closely, especially in view of its concerns for the Indians living in the African country, the minister said in a tweet.
On Monday, the Indian embassy in Sudan issued another advisory urging Indians not to leave their residences and stay calm.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the two sides have agreed to a temporary 24-hour ceasefire.