New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remaining silent on the military conflict involving Iran and the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera raised the issue during a press conference in the capital.
Khera said India built global credibility through the leadership of earlier prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh. He alleged that the current government had weakened that standing by failing to respond publicly to the conflict.
He questioned the timing of Modi’s visit to Israel, which occurred shortly before the attacks on Iran. Khera said India traditionally defended international law and a rules based global order. He argued that the government should have voiced concern when a sovereign country faced military action and its leader was killed.
The Congress leader also pointed to India’s long relationship with Iran and said the Prime Minister had not visited the Iranian embassy in New Delhi to express condolences.
Khera warned that the conflict could have economic consequences for India. He said any disruption in the Strait of Hormuz would affect crude oil, CNG and LPG supplies. According to him, Indian shipping assets worth around Rs 10,000 crore, including 38 vessels and about 1,100 sailors, remain stuck due to the tensions.
He also criticised the reported torpedoing of an Iranian vessel by a US submarine in the Indian Ocean after the ship participated in a naval exercise linked with India. Khera urged the government to respond clearly to claims that American forces used Indian ports during the conflict.
