{"id":107214,"date":"2026-03-03T06:28:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T06:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=107214"},"modified":"2026-03-03T06:28:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T06:28:06","slug":"sonia-gandhi-slams-government-silence-on-killing-of-irans-supreme-leader-calls-it-abdication-of-indias-moral-and-strategic-responsibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=107214","title":{"rendered":"Sonia Gandhi Slams Government Silence on Killing of Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader, Calls It Abdication of India\u2019s Moral and Strategic Responsibility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New Delhi, March 2026 : Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi<\/strong> has sharply criticised the Union government for maintaining silence over the assassination of Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during joint US\u2013Israel airstrikes, arguing that New Delhi\u2019s lack of a clear response undermines both international law and India\u2019s long-standing foreign policy principles.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In an opinion piece published in The Indian Express<\/strong>, titled \u201cGovernment’s silence on killing of Iran leader is not neutral, it is abdication\u201d<\/em>, Gandhi described the killing of a sitting head of state amid ongoing diplomatic negotiations as a profound rupture in contemporary international relations. She asserted that what was equally disturbing was India\u2019s failure to articulate a principled response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe 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\u2019s silence,\u201d Gandhi wrote, adding that the government had \u201crefrained from condemning the assassination or the violation of Iranian sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referring to recent remarks by Narendra Modi<\/strong>, Gandhi said the Prime Minister initially chose to condemn Iran\u2019s retaliatory strike on the UAE without addressing the sequence of events that preceded it, namely the large-scale US\u2013Israeli assault on Iranian targets. She argued that later statements expressing \u201cdeep concern\u201d and calling for \u201cdialogue and diplomacy\u201d rang hollow because diplomatic engagement was already underway before the attacks took place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen 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,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gandhi stressed that silence in this case could not be interpreted as neutrality. She pointed out that the assassination occurred without a formal declaration of war and during an active diplomatic process, making it a direct challenge to the rules-based international order. Citing Article 2(4) of the United Nations<\/strong> Charter, she underlined that the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state is explicitly prohibited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA targeted killing of a serving head of state strikes at the heart of these principles,\u201d she said, warning that if such actions pass without principled objection from the world\u2019s largest democracy, the erosion of international norms would become easier to normalise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Congress leader also criticised what she described as the Prime Minister\u2019s \u201cunequivocal support\u201d for the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu<\/strong>, particularly in the context of the Gaza conflict. She argued that India\u2019s high-profile political endorsement of Israel, without adequate moral clarity, represented a troubling departure from the country\u2019s traditional balanced approach to West Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reiterating the Congress party\u2019s stand, Gandhi described the assassination of Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader as a \u201cdangerous escalation with grave regional and global consequences.\u201d She cautioned that such actions risk pushing an already volatile region into deeper instability, with direct implications for India\u2019s strategic and economic interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gandhi also recalled Iran\u2019s historical diplomatic support for India. She noted that in 1994, when sections within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation<\/strong> sought to advance a resolution against India at the UN Commission on Human Rights over Kashmir, Tehran played a crucial role in blocking the move. This, she said, demonstrated Iran\u2019s willingness to support India on sensitive international issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She further highlighted Iran\u2019s role in enabling India\u2019s diplomatic presence in Zahedan, close to the Pakistan border, which she described as a strategic counter-balance to the Gwadar port and the China\u2013Pakistan Economic Corridor. Such cooperation, she argued, underscored the depth and complexity of India\u2013Iran relations, which should not be disregarded in moments of crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back at history, Gandhi recalled the 2001 visit of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee<\/strong> to Tehran, during which he reaffirmed India\u2019s \u201cdeep ties\u201d with Iran. She lamented that this acknowledgement of long-standing relations appeared to hold little relevance for the current government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While acknowledging that India\u2019s ties with Israel have expanded significantly in recent years across defence, agriculture and technology, Gandhi argued that it was precisely because India maintains relations with both Tehran and Tel Aviv that it possesses the diplomatic space to urge restraint. However, she warned that such space depends on credibility, which in turn rests on the perception that India speaks from principle rather than expediency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expressing concern for Indian citizens living and working in Gulf countries affected by the conflict, Gandhi said India\u2019s ability to safeguard its people abroad has historically rested on its credibility as an independent actor, not as a proxy aligned with one side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe targeted killing of a foreign head of state, the erosion of international norms, and the widening instability in West Asia are not peripheral matters; they touch directly upon India\u2019s strategic interests and moral commitments,\u201d she wrote, adding that a clear articulation of India\u2019s position was long overdue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invoking India\u2019s civilisational ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam<\/em>\u2014the world is one family\u2014Gandhi concluded that this principle is not merely a ceremonial slogan but a commitment to justice, restraint and dialogue, even when such positions are inconvenient. \u201cAt moments when the rules-based order is under visible strain, silence is abdication,\u201d she said, urging India to rediscover and articulate its moral strength with clarity and conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Delhi, March 2026 : Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has sharply criticised the Union government for maintaining silence over the assassination of Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during joint US\u2013Israel airstrikes, arguing that New Delhi\u2019s lack of a clear response undermines both international law and India\u2019s long-standing foreign policy principles. In …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":107216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[80],"post_format":[],"flags":[],"class_list":["post-107214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india-news","tag-india"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=107214"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107217,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107214\/revisions\/107217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/107216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=107214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=107214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=107214"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_format&post=107214"},{"taxonomy":"flags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fflags&post=107214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}