Patna: JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha on Sunday urged the Centre to take effective measures to ensure the safe evacuation of a large number of citizens from Bihar stranded in West Asia amid escalating tensions following the strikes on Iran by Israel and the United States. He said the state govt was deeply concerned about the safety of its residents as well as other Indian citizens. According to unofficial reports, around 80,000 people from Bihar are working in West Asia.“We are very much worried about the safety of our citizens. Several calls are coming to us asking for help,” Jha told the reporters on Sunday, adding that acting on the CM’s instructions, he had spoken to the external affairs minister on the issue.Stating that the Bihar govt was in constant touch with the govt of India, Jha said the latter was exploring all options to assist its citizens. “We will find out ways to evacuate the citizens once the situation gets normal,” said Jha, who is also a Rajya Sabha member.He appealed to Indian citizens in the affected areas to remain indoors, stay alert and strictly follow advisories issued by local authorities and Indian missions. He expressed confidence that the govt would take necessary steps without delay once conditions stabilised.The development comes in the wake of airstrikes and explosions reported in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, among other countries, where a large number of Bihari residents are believed to be stranded as hostilities spread across West Asia. Bihar has a significant migrant population working in the Gulf, particularly in the UAE, sources said.The BJP said the Indian embassy and the foreign ministry were working overtime to ensure the safe evacuation of Indian citizens from West Asia and that this would become a reality very soon.“We have an old track record of evacuating Indian citizens stuck in foreign lands under adverse circumstances. We did it during the COVID-19 period and also during the Russia-Ukraine war,” a state BJP spokesperson said, adding that the Indian govt was closely monitoring the situation.The LJP (Ram Vilas), headed by Union minister Chirag Paswan, said the govt was sensitive to the situation and was making every effort to bring back citizens stranded in West Asia safely. “We are very serious to the safety of our citizens,” an LJP (RV) spokesperson said.
