Congress leader questions government silence, echoes Iranian line amid global crisis
At a time when India is navigating a volatile geopolitical crisis with caution and strategic clarity, senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has chosen to publicly attack the Centre’s stance on the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — a move critics say undermines India’s sovereign foreign policy position.
In a column for The Indian Express, Gandhi questioned the government’s calibrated response and accused it of remaining silent, claiming such silence is not “neutral” but an “abdication”.
“On March 1, Iran confirmed that its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, had been assassinated in targeted strikes carried out the previous day by the United States and Israel. The killing of a sitting head of state in the midst of ongoing negotiations marks a grave rupture in contemporary international relations,” Gandhi said, adding that Delhi’s silence stands out equally starkly.
However, the Centre has maintained that India’s response — calling for restraint and de-escalation — reflects strategic maturity and aligns with the approach adopted by major global powers. Government sources have stressed that diplomacy is guided by national interest, not ideological signalling.
Yet Gandhi sharply targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Initially, ignoring the massive US-Israeli onslaught, the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) confined himself to condemning Iran’s retaliatory strike on the UAE without addressing the sequence of events that preceded it. Later, he uttered platitudes about his ‘deep concern’ and talked of ‘dialogue and diplomacy‘ — which is precisely what was underway before the massive unprovoked attacks launched by Israel and the US,” Gandhi said.
Her remarks have drawn criticism from political observers who argue that publicly attacking India’s diplomatic posture during an escalating conflict risks signalling internal division and weakening New Delhi’s negotiating leverage.
“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,” she added.
Kashmir reminder raises eyebrows
In a controversial move, Gandhi invoked Kashmir while defending Iran.
“In 1994, when sections within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation sought to advance a resolution against India at the UN Commission on Human Rights over Kashmir, Tehran played a consequential role in blocking that effort. That intervention helped prevent the internationalisation of the Kashmir issue at a delicate moment in India’s economic trajectory,” she said.
She further wrote: “Iran has also enabled India’s diplomatic presence in Zahedan near the Pakistan border -a strategic counter-balance to the development of Gwadar port and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.”
Critics argue that bringing Kashmir into a Middle East military conflict debate risks internationalising a sensitive national issue and sends confusing signals about India’s firm and consistent position that Kashmir is an internal matter.
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