On Saturday (May 1), Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to thank the Youth Congress for supposedly responding to an emergency call for oxygen supply by the Embassy of the Republic of Philippines.
He tweeted, “While I thank @IYC for its stellar efforts, as an Indian citizen I’m stunned that the youth wing of the opposition party is attending to SOS calls from foreign embassies. Is the MEA sleeping @DrSJaishankar ?” Jairam Ramesh had shared a video posted by Srinivas B V, the National President of the Youth Congress. In the said video, a few people could be seen unloading an oxygen cylinder from a vehicle outside the Philippines embassy.
A day later on Sunday, Union Minister for External Affairs (EAM) S Jaishankar responded to the claims made by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Twitter. He informed that the MEA verified the matter with the Philippines embassy and found that they had no Coronavirus cases. “MEA checked with the Philippines Embassy. This was an unsolicited supply as they had no Covid cases,” he wrote.
S Jaishankar further emphasised how the Congress party was denying oxygen cylinders to needy patients in its pursuit of petty politics. “Clearly for cheap publicity by you know who. Giving away cylinders like this when there are people in desperate need of oxygen is simply appalling,” he pointed out.
MEA checked with the Philippines Embassy. This was an unsolicited supply as they had no Covid cases. Clearly for cheap publicity by you know who. Giving away cylinders like this when there are people in desperate need of oxygen is simply appalling. @Jairam_Ramesh https://t.co/G3jPE3c0nR
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 2, 2021
The Union Minister for External Affairs concluded, “Jairamji, MEA never sleeps; our people know across the world. MEA also never fakes; we know who does.”
Jairamji, MEA never sleeps; our people know across the world. MEA also never fakes; we know who does.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 2, 2021
Jairam Ramesh is yet to respond to the clarification by the Ministry of External Affairs. This is not the first time when the senior Congress leader has sparked controversy through his remarks. After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other politicians from Canada commented on the farmer protests in India in December last year, Jairam Ramesh appeared to argue that since Narendra Modi had said ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkaar’ at Houston, foreign interference in Indian internal matters is also justified.
