Ahmedabad: Expressing concern about the safety of Indian citizens in Israel, especially emphasizing that there are over 60,000 people of Gujarati origin in the country, Union Minister of State for Communications, Devusinh Chauhan, announced that the Indian government is actively developing an evacuation plan.

Chauhan stated, “India is also worried about its citizens in Israel. There are at least 60,000 people from Gujarat in Israel. The number would be higher if the entire nation is taken into consideration… Plans are being made to evacuate some of them back to India.” He shared this information during a event organized by the RSS-affiliated Panchjanya.

He also revealed his personal connections with some families in Israel, particularly those hailing from Manavadar in Saurashtra. Chauhan visited their homes in Israel in 2009 and learned about the bunkers they used during attacks. Notably, some of the daughters from these families serve in the Israeli military.

Chauhan acknowledged Israel’s right to protect its citizens who were facing attacks from armed Hamas fighters. He stressed the importance of supporting friendly nations, citing India’s support to Israel as conveyed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Israel-Palestine conflict was a one of the topic of discussion during the Panchjanya event held in Gandhinagar. BJP national spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawala, condemned the attacks on unarmed Israelis and urged for a strong and united condemnation. He criticized a resolution passed by a certain party (Congress) that reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian cause without addressing the Hamas attack on Israel.

Kapil Mishra, vice-president of Delhi BJP, addressed the audience, emphasizing the importance of understanding the danger of terrorism and ideologies, which India has been dealing with for over 1,500 years. He urged India to stand united in condemning such attacks and expressed concern that the party in question (Congress) was not taking a clear stance on the issue.