New Delhi, April 2 – Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma publicly supported the Modi government's foreign policy and strategic maneuvering on Thursday, amid a full-blown war in West Asia involving Israel, the United States, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Anand Sharma, who previously served as the External Affairs Minister in the UPA government, used X to explain the challenging situation in West Asia in detail, highlight the severity of the energy crisis resulting from the constant bombing of energy reserves in the Gulf, and also emphasize the increasing importance of India's role in the Global South.
The veteran Congress leader praised India's diplomatic handling of the crisis as "mature and skillful," and called for building national consensus and resolve.
Anand Sharma's defense of the government's foreign policy of "engagement with all stakeholders" in the region stands in stark contrast to the Congress party's stated position, which accuses the Modi government of aligning with the powerful US-Israel axis and undermining India's long-term relations with Iran.
"India's diplomatic handling of the crisis has been mature and skillful, avoiding potential pitfalls. India's response must be backed by a national consensus and resolve. The government has held a meeting with all political parties to inform the leadership of the situation and policy decisions in this unpredictable and volatile situation," said former External Affairs Minister Anand Sharma in a post on X.
"This national dialogue should be sustained. National unity and a mature response guided by national interest are essential," he wrote further.
Further highlighting India's long-standing commitment to moral authority and peace in its foreign policy, he said, "There is much at stake, especially the future of the younger generation, and India must strive to mobilize the Global South and strategic partner countries to collectively work for the restoration of peace and order."
Anand Sharma's restrained and open acknowledgment of the government's positive and skillful approach also goes a long way towards countering the opposition leader Rahul Gandhi's "surrender narrative," which the grand old party has used as a rallying point to criticize the government.
Furthermore, Anand Sharma becomes the third Congress veteran to express confidence in the Center's handling of the West Asia crisis.
Earlier, Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari, both serving party MPs, had justified India's foreign policy in West Asia and expressed support for skillful management of the situation, while safeguarding the interests of the large Indian diaspora in the Gulf.
