The leader of the opposition claimed New Delhi’s unwillingness to take a position diminishes the country’s standing in the world
India’s main opposition party has questioned the government’s stance on the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in attacks by the US and Israel.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, the lower House of Parliament, asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorses the assassination of Khamenei.
New Delhi has refrained from commenting on the death of the Iranian supreme leader, though Modi and the Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the escalation of violence in the Middle East in the aftermath of the attack.
“PM Modi must speak up. Does he support the assassination of a head of state as a way to define the world order? Silence now diminishes India’s standing in the world,” Gandhi posted on X.
“When the targeted killing of a foreign leader draws no clear defence of sovereignty or international law from our country, and impartiality is abandoned, it raises serious doubts about the direction and credibility of our foreign policy. Silence, in this instance, is not… pic.twitter.com/LJECs5jPHR
“When the targeted killing of a foreign leader draws no clear defense of sovereignty or international law from our country, and impartiality is abandoned, it raises serious doubts about the direction and credibility of our foreign policy. Silence, in this instance, is not neutral,” Gandhi said in his post.
He also attached a copy of an article written in a leading daily on Tuesday by the Congress Parliamentary Party leader, Sonia Gandhi, on the issue.
She termed the government’s silence on the killing as an “abdication” rather than neutrality.
The lack of a clear response on the issue “signals tacit endorsement of this tragedy,” she wrote, while calling for a discussion in Parliament on the issue.
India has not responded to the killing of Khamenei, but condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes on the UAE, without addressing the sequence of events preceding it, she wrote.
Modi’s government had drawn flak for his visit to Israel last month amid protests over allegations of genocide in Gaza.
India’s ties with Israel were “unfortunate,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said last week.
While New Delhi has enjoyed warm ties with many Persian Gulf nations, including Iran, it traditionally had lukewarm links with Israel. Modi reset ties with Israel during his first visit to the nation in 2017, upgrading them to a strategic partnership.
