New Delhi, Mar 13: The Indian National Congress on Friday criticised the Modi government for its “silence” over the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, alleging that the prime minister was avoiding taking a stand so as not to antagonise the United States and Israel.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said India had rightly condemned Iran’s attacks on Gulf states but remained silent on the US-Israeli assault on Iran that preceded them.
“Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the constitutional head of state in Iran, was assassinated on February 28, 2026 by the US and Israel. The PM is silent. The EAM is silent. Parliament is yet to have an obituary reference,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
He added that Iran is part of the BRICS+ forum, for which India holds the presidency this year, and questioned the government’s reluctance to respond.
Referring to the death of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May 2024, Ramesh noted that the Indian government had declared a day of mourning on May 21, 2024, and Parliament had paid obituary references when it convened later that year.
“Why the hesitancy now? A compromised PM no doubt wants to avoid antagonising his American and Israeli ‘friend’,” he said, in an apparent reference to US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Congress on Thursday also demanded a discussion in both Houses of Parliament on the situation in West Asia and its impact on India, alleging that the Modi government was refusing to allow such a debate.
The party had staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha and protested in the Lok Sabha after expressing dissatisfaction with a statement made by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on the West Asia situation earlier this week.
In his statement, Jaishankar said India supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region and defended the decision to allow an Iranian ship to dock at an Indian port on humanitarian grounds.
He added that the government has been closely monitoring the evolving situation and has already brought back around 67,000 stranded Indians from the conflict zone. Ensuring the safety of Indian nationals and safeguarding national interests such as energy security and trade remain the government’s top priorities, he said. (Agency)
