After drawing praise for India’s operation to rescue around 2,000 nationals by air and sea from war-hit Yemen, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K Singh, who is spearheading the rescue exercise, found himself in the thick of a controversy over an unsavoury remark made against the media. The former army chief is currently staying in Djibouti for over a week spearheading Operation Rahat. “Friends what do you expect from presstitutes….” Gen. Singh tweeted last night in response to a channel quoting him saying that he found the evacuation assignment less exciting than his recent visit to the Pakistan High Commission on the occasion of Pakistan's national day. The comment evoked sharp reactions, with the Opposition demanding an apology from the Union minister. But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has distanced itself from the former army chief’s views. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said: “Twitter is a personal platform. The meaning of a tweet can be best explained by the person who has tweeted.” But the comment has not gone down well with journalists, and the Broadcast Editors’ Association found the tweet to be offensive. The association’s general secretary, N.K. Singh, said that such comments damage the image of the government. Congress irked . The Congress also grabbed the opportunity to corner the NDA government and demanded that the minister be sacked. “It is very unfortunate that a minister is using abusive language against the media. He is holding a very important position. It is for the prime minister to take a call on this,” said Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed. “Singh’s statement shows utter intolerance and incapacity to hear any kind of criticism or dissent,” the Indian National Congress said on its Twitter handle, quoting its spokesman Abhishek Singhvi. Another party spokesman Sanjay Jha tweeted: “General V.K. Singh’s choice of dreadful terms to attack Indian media is not just politically inappropriate but seriously lamentable.” This is not the first time when General Singh’s tweets have stirred a storm. The Union minister had tweeted “duty” and “disgust” soon after attending a reception hosted by Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit in New Delhi, where Kashmiri separatists were also invited. The Yemen rescue: Indian nationals in Dijibouti before taking off for Mumbai . Singh had represented the government at the Pakistan Day reception and his tweets were read as his displeasure. But the Union minister later clarified that his comment was directed at the media’s twists to the whole episode and that he was misinterpreted. The former army chief has vented his anger at the media several times in the past as well. He has used the word “pressitute” earlier, too, when reports pointing fingers at him for attempting a coup had appeared in the media. The latest episode has hit the government at a time when the flawless execution of Operation Rahat was being hailed by all. The mammoth effort saw 4,000 Indians being brought home safely from the war zone in Yemen besides many citizens of other countries. The former army chief is not known to mince his words. He is not the only one in the government who had uncomfortable relations with a section of media. With PTI inputs . 'Rahat' brings Indians home from Yemen . By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi . India has pulled off an impressive mission by evacuating nearly 2,000 (by air and sea) nationals during a gruelling operation in the war-hit Yemen. Operation Rahat, as the elaborate humanitarian assistance exercise was christened, has entered its last phase as not many are left to be pulled out from Yemen where Houthi fighters are resisting a Saudi Arabia- led offensive in a war that has left hundreds dead. The Houthis are a Zaidi group that takes its name from Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, who launched an insurgency in 2004 before being reportedly killed by the Yemeni army. Led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the group carried out a coup in 2014–15 and as of now controls capital Sana’a and the parliament. Three warships, two IAF super heavy transporters, two merchant vessels and two Air India jets helped ferry Indians and some foreigners to safety. Officials said that air operations are being called off, but the naval warships will remain till the last person is evacuated. Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh, who was in the centre of a storm for a remark against the media, led the evacuation operation from Djibouti located on the Horn of Africa across the Gulf of Aden. Singh had created a controversy on Tuesday when he said: “Actually speaking, the operation (evacuation) in Yemen is less exciting than going to the Pakistani embassy.” On Wednesday, he sparked fresh storm by referring to a section of the media as ‘presstitutes’. The Indians were taken out on warships and Air India planes from Yemen and brought to Djibouti before being sent home. It was a Herculean effort considering the numbers involved and the situation on the ground, which was deteriorating with every passing day. As the air operations were being called off on April 8, naval warship INS Tarkash reached Djibouti from Al Hodeidah port with 74 people on board and INS Sumitra entered the Al Hodeidah harbour of Yemen on the Red Sea. Along with destroyer INS Mumbai, the three naval warships made several sorties from Djibouti to the three port cities in Yemen - Al Hodeidah, Aden and Al Mukalla - to bring back the stranded Indians who were told to assemble at these points from the hinterland. The ministry of external affairs coordinated smoothly with various agencies to ensure that the passage back home was safe and secured.
V.K. Singh is leading the operation to evacuate Indians trapped in war-torn Yemen . The minister reportedly said the exercise was less exciting that visiting the Pakistan High Commission . Angry Singh branded a section of the media 'presstitutes' after they quoted him . Congress called his statement 'abusive' and 'lamentable'