Karnataka BJP MLA Arvind Bellad has stirred a row with his remark that the body of Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagouda, the Indian student who was killed in shelling in Ukraine on March 1, would “occupy space that could instead be utilised to evacuate 10 to 12 stranded people” from the war-torn country. The opposition Congress has hit out at the BJP over the MLA’s remark, and called the MLA’s remark "insensitive and cruel."
Speaking to the media on Thursday, March 3, about the situation in Ukraine after Naveen’s death, the Hubballi-Dharwad West MLA stressed that the place where the body is kept is a war zone and it was difficult to bring it back to India under current circumstances.
“It is a war zone. You all are showing the ground situation on television through your channels. The body will be brought once the flight services become operational, Bellad said on Thursday. “In a situation when bringing the living people is proving to be difficult, it will be even more difficult to bring the body because it occupies more space. In place of it, 10 to 12 people can be brought,” said the BJP MLA.
“...More space is needed to bring a dead body on the flight. In the place required for a dead body, eight persons could be accommodated and brought back.” BJP MLA Arvind Bellad's statement on bringing back the dead body of #NaveenShekharappa who was killed in #UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/zF9IPaalBV
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) March 3, 2022
The ruling party legislator also said that students migrate to chase their dream of getting a medical degree abroad because of hefty fees in India. Arvind Bellad was one of the frontrunners to take over as the Chief Minister of Karnataka after Yediyurappa had resigned.
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. Naveen, a native of Chalageri in Haveri district, had been holed in with others in a bunker in Kharkiv. The body of the 22-year-old youth is lying in a morgue in Kharkiv. His parents have been requesting the Union government to get his son's body back home for the final rites.
Meanwhile, the Congress party has accused the Union government of “garnering publicity” for bringing Indian students back from war-torn Ukraine and that “cruelty is now the saffron party's DNA.”
"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.