‘Abdend, not neutral’: Sonia Gandhi slams PM Modi for silence on Khamenei assassination

MP Party Chairman Sonia Gandhi Iranian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government remained silent on Tuesday over the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing it as an “abdication” rather than neutrality.Sonia Gandhi said in an opinion piece published in The Indian Express that India’s lack of clear response to the killing “shows India’s acquiescence in this tragedy.”

Referring to Iran’s confirmation on March 1 that Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in a targeted attack allegedly carried out by the United States and Israel a day earlier, Gandhi described the assassination of the current head of state during ongoing negotiations as “a serious rupture in contemporary international relations”.“Beyond the shock of this incident, equally striking was New Delhi’s silence,” she wrote.She criticized the prime minister for initially condemning Iran’s retaliatory attacks on the United Arab Emirates without addressing the series of events that led to the escalation. Gandhi said subsequent remarks expressing “deep concern” and calling for “dialogue and diplomacy” were not enough because diplomatic engagement preceded what she called a “massive and unprovoked attack” by the United States and Israel.She believes that India’s failure to clearly defend its sovereignty and international law following targeted killings has raised “serious doubts” about the credibility and direction of its foreign policy.She also pointed to the timing of Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit to Israel, where he reiterated his support for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu even as the conflict in Gaza continues to draw global criticism over civilian casualties.“The timing heightened the uneasiness,” she wrote, noting that Prime Minister Modi had returned from Israel only 48 hours before the assassination. She described India’s position as “high-profile political support but unclear morals”, especially as several countries in the global South distance themselves from BRICS partners such as Russia and China.Gandhi further asked Parliament to hold a discussion in the second half of the budget session over what she termed the government’s “disturbing silence”.U.S. and Israeli forces carried out coordinated air strikes on multiple Iranian cities on Saturday, targeting military command centers, air defense systems, missile sites and other strategic infrastructure. The attack reportedly killed Ayatollah Khamenei and four senior Iranian military and security officials, and massive explosions were reported in Tehran and other cities.Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones targeting U.S. assets and allies in the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. These developments have significantly heightened tensions in the Middle East and raised concerns about regional stability and civilian safety.