Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi described Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his foreign policy as “vulnerable” and on Tuesday clearly objected to the Prime Minister’s references to the Covid pandemic when he spoke about the West Asia crisis in his speeches in Parliament this week.
“Modi said a Covid-like time was coming. He forgot what happened then, how many people died, what kind of tragedies happened,” he added.
Asked about reports that Pakistan was mediating talks between the US and Iran to end the ongoing war, the congressman said: “Our foreign policy is Prime Minister Modi’s personal foreign policy. You can see the results of that; everyone considers this a global joke.”
Just hours after Gandhi’s remarks, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered to host the US-Iran talks, while US President Donald Trump also spoke to Prime Minister Modi.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi claimed: “I can give it to you in writing; the Prime Minister will do what America and Israel say. He will not work for the benefit of India and its farmers; he will do what America and Israel say.”
He also said that he would not participate in Wednesday’s all-party meeting on the issue, logistically as he is traveling to Kerala. But he also gave another reason: “The meeting, which included all parties, was supposed to be held, but a structural error occurred, and it cannot be fixed.”
Describing Prime Minister Modi’s speeches in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as “irrelevant”, Gandhi also said: “He is the Prime Minister of India. He should look like the Prime Minister of India. He has no position (on the US-Iran war).”
He said this lack of a clear position would harm people, such as shortages of basic goods linked to oil supplies. “This is the beginning. LPG, petrol, fertilisers, all these things will be a problem,” he said.
He again played on the word “compromise” that the Congress-led opposition has used in the past few weeks against Modi and the BJP-led central government: “US President Donald Trump knows exactly what Modi can and cannot do. If the Prime Minister is compromised, our foreign policy is compromised – that much is clear.”
Modi said on Monday and Tuesday that the difficult global conditions caused by the conflict in West Asia are likely to continue for a long time and called on the nation to remain prepared and united, just as it stood together during the Covid pandemic.
“This war has created difficult global conditions that may last for a long time. Hence, we must remain prepared and united. We faced similar challenges during the Covid crisis with unity. Now again, we must prepare in the same way. With patience, restraint and calm, we must face every challenge – this is our identity, this is our strength,” he told the Rajya Sabha.
“At the same time, we must remain vigilant and cautious. Those who try to exploit the situation will try to spread lies, but we must not allow them to succeed,” he added.
In his statement in Lok Sabha, Modi also addressed concerns regarding the impact on fuel, fertilisers, national security and other areas in India as well as on its citizens residing in the West Asia region. He detailed the steps taken by the government to ensure that “ordinary families face as few problems as possible” and said a unanimous voice must come out to the world from the Indian Parliament on this crisis.
Emphasizing India’s firm commitment to humanity and peace, the Prime Minister said that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only way to a solution and every Indian effort is directed towards de-escalation and cessation of hostilities.
