Amid growing criticism from the opposition over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “silence” over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Congressman Imran Masoud met the India-based representative of the late Iranian regime leader in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Massoud praised Khamenei’s focus on diplomatic relations between India and Iran, and said that the death of the president of any country is sad, and that the Iranian leader has great respect for India.
Speaking about his conversation with Dr. Abdul Majeed Hakim Elahi, representative of the late Khamenei, Masoud said that he was informed that Khamenei believes that relations between India and Iran are 3,000 years old.
Masoud reportedly said: “Khamenei Sahib himself mentioned that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru wrote about this relationship in his book ‘The Discovery of India’. He (Khamenei’s representative) said that he (Khamenei) read it four times and personally said to me: ‘To understand India, read The Discovery of India’.”
The Congress MP’s meeting with Khamenei’s representative followed Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s criticism of Prime Minister Modi, questioning his “silence” over the killing of Khamenei in the strikes led by Israel and the US over the weekend in Iran.
In an article published in Indian ExpressShe said that silence in this regard “is not neutrality,” but rather “condescension.” Gandhi added: “If such actions go without principled objection from the world’s largest democracy, the erosion of international norms becomes easier to normalize.”
“Know more about India from…”
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Khamenei’s India-based representative, Imran Masoud also said he was told that the late Supreme Leader knew more about India than “many other educated and capable people.”
“He was a highly educated and capable person who had vast knowledge of India and had a special relationship with Gandhiji and Nehru. They shared a similar ideology. Iran has always maintained this bond for the benefit of humanity and has constantly defended the principle that humanity should continue to flourish,” Imran Masoud was quoted as saying by ANI news agency.
The congressman said that he met with Dr. Abdul Majeed Hakim Elahi to offer his condolences over the killing of Khamenei, and described the incident as a “sad event.”
