CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Union government for “seeking” US approval to buy Russian oil and said it raised a fundamental question as to why India should get another country’s approval to secure its own energy needs. He questioned the British government’s silence on the sinking of the Iranian warship “IRIS Dena”. The unarmed ship was returning to the country after participating in the 2026 International Fleet Review naval exercise hosted by India. Stalin said in an interview with “Equally disturbing is the fact that the unarmed Iranian warship IRIS Dena was sunk by the United States soon after it participated in India’s International Fleet Review 2026 naval exercise in Visakhapatnam,” Stalin said. “India cannot remain silent or passive when a ship that comes to India as part of a multinational exercise meets such a fate,” Stalin said. The Union government appears to have completely compromised India’s longstanding tradition of strategic autonomy and independent foreign policy. Stalin posted on social media: “India’s dignity on the international stage needs to be protected, and national sovereignty and interests need to be defended.”
