External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is likely to make a statement in the Lok Sabha on the “situation in West Asia” when the Budget Session of Parliament resumes on Monday.
The Opposition Congress, however, has demanded a full-fledged debate on the issue, recalling that a “spirited debate” had taken place in Parliament during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh argued that ministerial statements do not allow Members of Parliament to adequately question the government.
“The problems with such Ministerial statements are that (i) they convey little of value over and above that is already known; and more importantly (ii) MPs are not given an opportunity to seek clarifications or ask questions,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
India is closely monitoring the evolving situation in West Asia after joint strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks on US bases in neighbouring countries pushed the region to the brink of a broader regional war.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, more than 52,000 Indian nationals have returned home following the partial reopening of airspace across the region.
The Congress had earlier criticised the Narendra Modi government for its silence over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the US–Israel attack.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi had called for a discussion on the issue when Parliament reconvenes for the Budget Session, stressing that India must reclaim its moral voice and communicate its position with clarity and resolve.
The Opposition has also targeted the Centre after the US government issued a 30-day waiver allowing India to resume oil purchases from Russia, accusing the government of adopting what it called a “cowardly and compromised” stance.
