Lucknow, March 2 The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Congress said on Monday that its state president, Ajay Rai, visited Shia-dominated areas of old Lucknow to pay tributes to the "martyrdom" of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and met senior Indian Shia cleric, Maulana Kalbe Jawad.
In a statement issued here, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee said that Rai offered tributes and expressed solidarity with the Shia community during his visit.
According to the statement, Rai said that Khamenei "chose bravery over surrender" and that "we bow to his martyrdom".
The Congress leader also criticised the Narendra Modi government over what he described as its silence on the issue, calling it "deeply shameful".
"This silence not only reflects the moral decline of the present government but also raises questions about our civilization, which has always worked to spread light across the world," the statement quoted Rai as saying.
He further said that India and Iran have shared longstanding ties, which, he alleged, the present BJP-led government had weakened to benefit a select few.
Rai expressed deep condolences to Iran and the Shia community across the world in this hour of grief, the statement said.
Maulana Shafeeq Shafaq, Shia leader Shamsi, Congress leaders Faizi Zaidi, Abdullah Sher Khan, and Ashish Dixit, along with members of the city Congress committee, were also present on the occasion, it added.