Sonia Gandhi slams govt’s ‘Silence’ on Khamenei assassination

New Delhi | Desk: Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has strongly criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his foreign policy over the central government's response to the targeted assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In an article published in The Indian Express on Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi described India's silence not as "neutrality" but as an "abdication of obligations."

She stated that the assassination of a sitting head of state signals a breakdown in the international order and that India's silence raises serious questions about the country's global credibility.

Sonia Gandhi noted in the article that on March 1, Iran confirmed that its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, had been killed in a targeted attack by the United States and Israel. She described this as a "serious fissure" in international relations, especially since the incident occurred amid diplomatic negotiations.

The Congress leader lamented that the Indian government neither condemned the assassination nor took a strong stance on the violation of Iranian sovereignty.

She criticized Prime Minister Modi, saying that he only condemned Iran's retaliatory attack on the UAE but ignored the sequence of events that led to this situation. According to her, the Prime Minister's words of "deep concern" and "dialogue and diplomacy" are mere formalities.

Sonia Gandhi also expressed concern that the attack occurred just 48 hours after Prime Minister Modi visited Israel, where he reiterated his unwavering support for the Benjamin Netanyahu government. She argued that while BRICS allies like Russia and China, and other countries in the Global South, are maintaining distance from the incident, India's stance appears to be tacit support for Israel and the US's actions.

Citing Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, she said that the use of force against the territorial integrity of any state is prohibited, and that India's silence, the world's largest democracy, is tantamount to normalizing the erosion of international norms.

Sonia Gandhi recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 2001 visit to Tehran, saying he had firmly upheld India's civilizational ties with Iran, but the current government is neglecting those historic ties.

She demanded that when the second phase of Parliament's budget session begins, there should be an open debate on this breakdown of the international order and the government's "disturbing silence."

She concluded by saying that "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" should not be merely a diplomatic slogan but a commitment to justice and restraint. According to her, India must rediscover the moral strength that once made it the "conscience keeper" of the world.