Sonia Gandhi criticizes Modi govt’s silence on Ayatollah Khamenei’s assassination
Calls for parliamentary debate on government’s response
New Delhi: Veteran opposition leader and Congress stalwart Sonia Gandhi has sharply criticized the Narendra Modi government for its silence following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint Israeli-US strike in Tehran. She argued that the government’s subdued reaction raises serious questions about the credibility of India’s foreign policy.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in an opinion piece published in The Indian Express, Gandhi observed that New Delhi’s response—largely limited to condemning Iran’s retaliatory actions against the UAE and issuing generalised calls for de-escalation—appears insufficient to uphold international law or sovereignty.
“When the targeted killing of a foreign leader elicits no clear defence of sovereignty or international law from our nation,” Gandhi wrote, “it casts serious doubt on the direction and reliability of our foreign policy. In this context, silence represents an abdication, rather than a balanced approach.”
The Congress leader further cautioned that such an assassination could undermine established global norms. “Should such actions proceed without a principled objection from the world’s largest democracy, the erosion of international standards risks becoming commonplace,” she asserted.
Sonia Gandhi pointed out that Modi had concluded a visit to Israel just 48 hours before Ayatollah Khamenei’s assassination, where he expressed strong support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even amid widespread international criticism over civilian casualties in the Gaza conflict.
“At a time when the rules-based global order appears increasingly fragile, silence becomes an abdication,” Gandhi said.
She also urged a parliamentary debate on the Modi-led Indian government’s response during the second part of the Budget session, stressing the critical nature of this issue for India’s strategic interests, international credibility, and moral leadership.
