In a sharply worded intervention on Tuesday, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi criticised the Modi government's response to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Writing in The Indian Express, the former Congress president argued that New Delhi’s refusal to issue a formal condemnation is not an act of neutrality, but a "troubling departure" from India’s historical foreign policy and a failure of moral leadership.
Gandhi emphasised the fact that the targeted assassination of a head of state while holding office is a "grave rupture" in international relations. She also pointed out the fact that while the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to condemn the retaliatory strikes by Iran on the UAE, he was silent on the initial strikes carried out by the US and Israel. She emphasised the fact that this speaks volumes about the questionable authenticity of India’s foreign policy, especially as a member state of the Global South. "Silence, in this instance, is not neutral; it is an abdication," She added.
The timing of the event has added to the political friction in New Delhi. Gandhi noted that the assassination took place just 48 hours after the Prime Minister returned from a high-profile visit to Israel, where he reiterated "unequivocal support" for Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. She contrasted this with the stance of other BRICS partners like Russia and China, who have distanced themselves from the US-Israeli actions. By appearing to offer a "tacit endorsement" of the tragedy, she claimed, India risks losing its status as a principled "conscience-keeper" of the world.
Invoking the legacy of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, she reminded the current government of his 2001 visit to Tehran, where he warmly reaffirmed the civilisational ties between India and Iran. She questioned why the current administration seems to find those long-standing relations irrelevant today. To address what she called a "disturbing silence," Gandhi demanded a full and open debate in Parliament when it reconvenes for the second part of the Budget session, insisting that democratic accountability and strategic clarity require nothing less.
Finally, she urged India to rediscover the moral strength to stand up for justice and non-violence, even if it is diplomatically inconvenient. She recalled the notion of vasudhaiva kutumbakam, which holds that the world can only be viewed as one family if there is a real commitment to restraint and international law. Khamenei's death, which marked a new escalation in West Asia, prompted Gandhi to note that India's current silence is no longer merely tactical but fundamentally discordant with India's national principles.
Also read: Two Iranian drones hit US Embassy in Riyadh, Trump reacts
Follow us
