In New Delhi, Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, criticized the Modi government on March 3, stating that its silence regarding the targeted assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is not neutral but an abdication of responsibility, raising serious doubts about India's foreign policy.
Gandhi also demanded that when Parliament reconvenes, the government should openly and without evasion debate the "disturbing silence" regarding the breakdown of international order.
In her article published in The Indian Express, Gandhi emphasized the urgent need to "rediscover" India's moral strength and articulate it clearly and with commitment.
She stated that on March 1, Iran confirmed that Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei had been assassinated in targeted strikes carried out the previous day by the United States and Israel. The killing of a sitting head of state during ongoing negotiations represents a grave rupture in contemporary international relations.
However, beyond the shock of the event, New Delhi's silence is equally stark, she noted.
The Government of India has refrained from condemning the assassination or violating Iranian sovereignty.
Initially, Prime Minister Narendra Modi focused on condemning Iran's retaliatory strike on the UAE without addressing the preceding events. Later, he expressed "deep concern" and spoke of "dialogue and diplomacy," which were already underway.
Gandhi argued that when a foreign leader is targeted without clear defense of sovereignty or international law, it raises serious doubts about India's foreign policy.
Silence is not neutral, she asserted.
Gandhi pointed out that the assassination was carried out without a formal declaration of war and during an ongoing diplomatic process.
Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. A targeted killing of a serving head of state strikes at the heart of these principles.
If such acts pass without principled objection from the world's largest democracy, the erosion of international norms becomes easier to normalize, she argued.
The timing is also a concern. Barely 48 hours before the assassination, Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from a visit to Israel, where he reiterated his support for Benjamin Netanyahu's government, despite ongoing global outrage over civilian casualties in Gaza.
India's high-profile political endorsement without moral clarity marks a visible and troubling departure, she said.
The Congress has unequivocally condemned the bombings and targeted assassinations on Iranian soil, describing them as a dangerous escalation with grave regional and global consequences.
We have extended condolences to the Iranian people and to Shia communities worldwide, reiterating that India's foreign policy is anchored in the peaceful settlement of disputes, as reflected in Article 51 of the Constitution of India. These principles—sovereign equality, non-intervention, and the promotion of peace—have historically been integral to India's diplomatic identity. The present reticence, therefore, appears not merely tactical, but discordant with our stated principles.
The present government would do well to remember that in April 2001, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee warmly reaffirmed India's deep ties with Iran, both civilisational and contemporary.
His acknowledgement of those long-standing relations seems to hold no relevance for our current government, she said.
She further asked as to why should countries in the Global South trust India to defend their territorial integrity tomorrow if it appears hesitant to defend that principle today.
The appropriate forum for resolving this dissonance is Parliament. When it reconvenes, this disturbing silence over the breakdown of international order must be debated openly and without evasion, Gandhi said.
The 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's strategic interests and moral commitments, she asserted.
A clear articulation of India's position is overdue. Democratic accountability demands no less, and strategic clarity requires it, Gandhi said.
India has long invoked the ideal of vasudhaiva kutumbakam—the world is one family. That civilisational ethos is not a slogan for ceremonial diplomacy; it implies a commitment to justice, restraint, and dialogue, even when doing so is inconvenient.
At moments when the rules-based order is under visible strain, silence is abdication, Gandhi said.
India has long-aspired to be more than a regional power and it has sought to serve as the conscience-keeper of the world, she said.
That stature was built on a willingness to speak for sovereignty, peace, non-violence, and justice even when doing so was inconvenient, she said.
At this moment, there is an urgent need for us to rediscover that moral strength and articulate it with clarity and commitment, Gandhi said.
Khamenei was killed in a major attack by Israel and the US in the early hours of Saturday.
The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, with US President Donald Trump calling on the Iranian public to seize control of their destiny and rise against the Islamic leadership that has ruled their country since 1979.
