Kochi, March 11 Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that the Centre and Gulf nations were doing everything possible to help Indians stranded during the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Addressing a massive NDA rally here, he said the BJP-led NDA government always makes every possible effort to help its citizens when they are in trouble.
"Whether it is rescuing nurses stranded in Iraq or freeing Father Tom from the clutches of terrorists in Yemen, India now does not abandon its citizens in their time of crisis.
"Father Alexis Premkumar was safely rescued and brought back from Afghanistan. Even today, our aim is to ensure that Indians stranded in West Asia amidst the war are safe and receive all possible facilities," the PM said.
He said that he was "happy" that the governments of the Gulf nations were taking care of Indian citizens there and he was "grateful" to them.
Modi also said that Indian embassies and missions in those countries were working 24 by 7 to ensure that food, medical aid, accommodation, and legal assistance is provided to citizens in need.
The PM also said that the present crisis in West Asia has once again proven how important it is to become self-reliant.
"To reduce dependence on other countries in the energy sector, the government has taken many steps in recent years. We have increased our solar capacity. Work on solar projects has also started in Kerala.
"To reduce dependence on petrol and diesel, electric vehicles are being promoted. We are also carrying out the complete electrification of railways," he said.
Modi alleged that the Congress was making "provocative and irresponsible statements" over the West Asia crisis for political reasons.
The PM claimed that the Congress was "deliberately" making such statements to create problems for Indian citizens stranded in West Asia and subsequently, "to make reels blaming Modi" for the same.
"It is unfortunate that even in such times of crisis, the Congress is playing politics. They are deliberately making provocative and irresponsible statements, so that the situation deteriorates and our people are stranded in trouble, and then they can together make reels blaming Modi. That is their game," he said.
Modi also alleged that during their rule, the Congress and the Left parties had made the country more and more dependent on foreign nations, and together they were now spreading rumors in connection with the war in the Gulf region.
He alleged that even during this time of war, "the Congress, the Left, and their ecosystem are putting all their strength into creating fear in the country."
"I would say to the nation to stay cautious and alert of the rumors being spread by Congress and the Left," he contended.