Congress parliamentary party leader and Rajya Sabha member Sonia Gandhi questioned the timing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel in the wake of the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran and criticized the Centre’s “silence” over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
She said that silence on this matter is “not neutral,” noting that the killing of Khamenei violates the rules of the United Nations Charter. In an article published in Indian ExpressSonia Gandhi said the lack of clear statements from India on the targeted killing of a foreign leader “raises serious doubts about the direction and credibility of our foreign policy.” Follow live updates on the impact of the US-Iran war on India
She cited Article 2 (4) of the UN Charter, which states that “the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State is prohibited,” adding that killing a sitting head of state violates the essence of these principles.
Gandhi added: “If such actions go without principled objection from the world’s largest democracy, the erosion of international norms becomes easier to normalize.”
She went on to ask about the “concern” over the timing of the US-Israeli strikes and Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Israel.
Read also | ‘India has never looked so weak’: Opn attacks PM Modi over Iran’s ‘complete betrayal’ and silence on Khamenei’s killing
“Almost 48 hours before the assassination, the Prime Minister returned from a visit to Israel, where he reaffirmed his absolute support for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu — even as the Gaza conflict continues to spark global outrage over the scale of civilian casualties, many of them women and children,” the Congress Rajya Sabha member wrote in the article.
According to Sonia Gandhi, India’s “high-level political endorsement” without moral clarity, while much of the Global South, along with New Delhi’s BRICS partners, has kept its distance, “represents a clear and worrying departure”.
The Congress Party leader recalled the official visit made by former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Tehran in April 2001, where he “warmly affirmed India’s deep ties with Iran, both civilizational and contemporary.” “His recognition of these long-standing relations seems to have no significance for our present government,” Sonia Gandhi said.
Read also | Modi calls Netanyahu and requests cessation of hostilities amid tensions in the Middle East
Sonia Gandhi said India’s ongoing ties with both Iran and Israel are the reason why New Delhi has the diplomatic space to urge restraint. However, she said such an area depends on credibility, which in turn depends on the perception that India is speaking on principle.
Noting that nearly 10 million Indians reside and work across the Gulf, the Congress leader said: “India’s ability to protect its citizens depends on its credibility as an independent actor, not as an agent.”
She said the credibility stemmed from the country’s post-independence foreign policy, which was formulated on the basis of non-alignment, adding that it was a refusal to get involved in great power rivalries.
“Uncritical silence in the face of unilateral military action by powerful nations appears to be a retreat from this principle. In effect, an abandonment of our legacy,” she wrote.
Sonia Gandhi went on to say that while India has repeatedly advocated for a rules-based international order that protects the vulnerable, “this argument rings hollow” if it is not expressed when the test is immediate and inconvenient.
Read also | Owaisi says PM Modi has to play an important role in stopping the war in Iran
“Why should countries of the Global South trust India to defend their territorial integrity tomorrow if it seems reluctant to defend that principle today?” he asked. I asked.
She called for a parliamentary debate on the Modi government’s “disturbing silence” on the Iranian conflict.
Sonia Gandhi stated that silence is “condescension” while India has long aspired to be more than just a regional power. She said that there is an urgent need for the country to rediscover its moral strength and express it with clarity and commitment.
What PM Modi said about tensions in the Middle East
During a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the ongoing situation in the Middle East was of “grave concern” to India.
He called for resolving all conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy. Prime Minister Modi also emphasized that the Indian government will continue to work with authorities in West Asia to ensure the safety of Indian citizens there.
Prime Minister Modi reiterated India’s foreign policy stance and said that the country has always been an advocate of peace and global tensions. “India’s position has always been clear on tensions around the world. India has consistently called for peace and stability, and when two democracies stand together, the call for peace becomes stronger,” he added.
