Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has strongly criticized the Indian government for remaining silent amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, calling it a betrayal of India’s long-standing diplomatic values and commitment to peace in West Asia. In a sharply worded opinion piece published in The Hindu, Sonia Gandhi also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy shift and accused his government of failing to uphold India’s historical support for an independent Palestinian state.
Calls Modi government’s silence a surrender of values
Sonia Gandhi expressed alarm over the Centre’s muted response during two major international crises: Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and its recent strikes on Iran. “New Delhi’s silence on the devastation in Gaza and now on the unprovoked escalation against Iran reflects a disturbing departure from our moral and diplomatic traditions,” she wrote, arguing that India’s failure to take a stand marks not just a diplomatic gap but a moral void.
She pointed out that India had always supported a peaceful two-state solution, with Palestine and Israel coexisting in mutual respect and security. The government’s refusal to comment now, she said, signals a dangerous abandonment of that principle.
The external affairs ministry had issued a mild statement of concern after Israel bombed Iranian military and nuclear facilities, but Sonia Gandhi found this insufficient and lacking in urgency.
Defends Iran, slams Netanyahu and Trump
Sonia Gandhi described Iran as a long-standing friend of India, referencing Tehran’s support during the 1994 UN Human Rights Commission session on Kashmir. She recalled that while pre-revolution Iran had leaned toward Pakistan, the Islamic Republic had since maintained cooperative ties with India.
She emphasized that Israel’s attacks on June 13 were unlawful and carried out with disregard for Iranian sovereignty and civilian safety. Referring to past Israeli actions in Gaza, she said, “The world has witnessed the dangerous consequences of unilateral militarism.”
Sonia Gandhi also targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump in her piece. She accused Netanyahu of nurturing extremism and consistently undermining peace. Criticizing Trump’s aggressive posture on Iran, she said his dismissal of U.S. intelligence assessments about Iran’s nuclear ambitions was deeply troubling.
She asserted that these actions were enabled by near-unconditional support from powerful Western nations, which further undermined global stability. Sonia Gandhi urged India to act as a moral voice in the conflict and utilize its diplomatic leverage to push for de-escalation.
She ended her commentary by drawing attention to the millions of Indian citizens living in West Asia, whose lives are directly impacted by any escalation. India’s silence, she warned, risks both its international credibility and the safety of its diaspora.
Sonia Gandhi’s article marks one of the most comprehensive foreign policy criticisms from the Congress party in recent times and places direct pressure on the Modi government to break its silence on volatile international developments.
