Sonia Gandhi questioning India's foreign policy not appropriate, say NDA leaders

New Delhi, March 3 (IANS) Leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Tuesday criticised Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for questioning the Centre over its stand on Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death in the joint US-Israel strikes.  

Sonia Gandhi stated that the lack of any official statement on this matter is not neutral; rather, it amounts to an "abdication" of responsibility. Gandhi also highlighted Tehran's support for New Delhi at the UN when the Kashmir topic was raised in 1994.

In an op-ed published in The Indian Express, titled 'Government's silence on killing of Iran leader is not neutral, it is abdication', Sonia Gandhi said, "The killing of a sitting head of state in the midst of ongoing negotiations marks a grave rupture in contemporary international relations. Yet, beyond the shock of the event, what stands out equally starkly is New Delhi's silence."

The Government of India, she said, has "refrained from condemning the assassination or the violation of Iranian sovereignty".

Leaders of the ruling NDA said that Sonia Gandhi's questioning of the Centre's stance is "incorrect" and "inappropriate", adding that the government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has always advocated for peace.

Reacting to this, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal told IANS, "If she (Sonia Gandhi) has said something like that, the government will take whatever action it deems appropriate. The government has responded in Parliament from time to time regarding such arrangements, and it will decide what action to take on this matter."

UP Minister O.P. Rajbhar, speaking to IANS, said, "She is speaking incorrectly. The Prime Minister has held talks with both countries and has taken initiatives for peace. Now, there is a huge difference between her thinking and the Prime Minister's thinking. PM Modi has always advocated for peace."

Bihar Minister Ram Kripal Yadav said the government has acted "responsibly" in the situation.

Speaking to IANS, Yadav said, "Our government is a responsible one, and it has never stepped away from its responsibilities. The government is closely monitoring all these matters and will take appropriate action and make the right decisions at the appropriate time. We are peace-loving people."

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar also criticised the CPP Chairperson's remarks and said, "Sonia Gandhi questioning India's foreign policy does not seem appropriate. Debate will occur when necessary, and the session will be convened accordingly."

Congress, however, backing Sonia Gandhi, said that the Government of India has "never been so weak" as it "has not expressed any opinion on it".

Congress leader Udit Raj, speaking to IANS, said, "The Indian government has never been so weak, so insignificant. For the first time, it is being seen that when such a big event is happening at the global level, and the entire Middle East has been drawn into war, the Indian government has no opinion coming out -- no solution, no intervention, no opinion."

Meanwhile, Sonia Gandhi, in her op-ed, stressed that "Silence, in this instance, is not neutral" and asserted that the assassination was carried out "without a formal declaration of war and during an ongoing diplomatic process".

She stated that Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

"A targeted killing of a serving head of state strikes at the heart of these principles. If such acts pass without principled objection from the world's largest democracy, the erosion of international norms becomes easier to normalise," she said.

The Congress Rajya Sabha member also slammed the Prime Minister for his "unequivocal support" of the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, citing the Gaza conflict, and said that India's "high-profile political endorsement without moral clarity marks a visible and troubling departure".

She further reiterated Congress' stand on the assassination of the Iranian Supreme Leader, calling the act a "dangerous escalation with grave regional and global consequences".

--IANS

sd/dpb