Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not issuing a statement on the sinking of the Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, by the US in the Indian Ocean.
Gandhi claimed that the intensifying conflict between the US and Iran has “reached our backyard” and questioned the absence of a remark from the prime minister.
IRIS Dena, one of Iran’s newest warships, sank after a US submarine torpedoed it in the waters near Sri Lanka on Wednesday. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the incident and said that it gave the vessel a “quiet death”.
In a post on X, the LoP wrote, “The world has entered a volatile phase. Stormy seas lie ahead.” He claimed, “India’s oil supplies are under threat, with more than 40% of our imports transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The situation is even worse for LPG and LNG.”
“The conflict has reached our backyard, with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean. Yet the Prime Minister has said nothing. At a moment like this, we need a steady hand at the wheel. Instead, India has a compromised PM who has surrendered our strategic autonomy,” the Congress leader added.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that Washington’s action has “enormous implications for India”, adding that it is shocking that there has been no official response to the sinking till now.
Ramesh took a swipe at the Centre and said that no official statement on the matter should not be a surprise since the Modi government “has not still broken its silence over the targeted assassinations in Iran”, referring to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the recent US-Israeli strikes.
“Never before has the Indian government looked so timid and fearful,” he said in a post on X.
The Opposition leaders’ reactions came as authoritative sources confirmed to HT that although Iranians say that IRIS Dena was a “guest of Indian Navy”, the ship did not ask for any help after war was declared on February 28.
The ship and its crew were Indian guests only from February 16 to February 25, according to sources.
Iran lashed out at the US for sinking its warship in international waters without warning. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi issued a firm warning to Washington, saying, “Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set.”