Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday intensified his criticism of the Narendra Modi government over its silence on the military strike against Iran carried out by joint Israeli and US forces.
Referring to the US submarine attack on the Iranian warship IRIS Dena near Sri Lanka on Wednesday, Gandhi said the West Asia conflict has now reached India’s doorstep, yet the prime minister remains silent.
“The conflict has reached our backyard, with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean. Yet the Prime Minister has said nothing. At a moment like this, we need a steady hand at the wheel,” Gandhi said, accusing Modi of compromising India’s strategic autonomy.
The Congress leader also voiced concern over India’s oil and energy supplies, warning that disruptions in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could affect the country.
“India's oil supplies are under threat, with more than 40% of our imports passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The situation is even more critical for LPG and LNG,” he said.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh also questioned the government’s stance, calling it the most “timid and fearful” he has ever seen.
“This US action has enormous implications for India, and it is shocking that there has been no official response so far. Perhaps it should not be surprising, given that the Modi government has yet to comment on the targeted assassinations in Iran,” he said.
The US submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian warship while it was returning from the Milan naval exercise, a multilateral wargame hosted by India in Vishakhapatnam.
The incident represents a major escalation in US-Iran tensions outside the Persian Gulf and raises pressing questions about maritime security in the Indian Ocean, an area traditionally considered the backyard of the Indian Navy.
