‘Why hesitate now?’: Congress reiterates accusations of ‘compromising prime minister’ remaining silent on Ayatollah Khamenei’s death

New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday took a jibe at the Prime Minister Narendra Modiquestioning his hesitancy to condemn the death of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.Recalling his earlier accusations of a “compromising prime minister”, Ramesh claimed that Prime Minister Modi wanted to “avoid confrontation with his American and Israeli friends”, referring to US President Donald Trump and Tel Aviv Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Why the hesitation now? No doubt a compromised prime minister wants to avoid confrontation with his American and Israeli ‘friends’,” he wrote in a post on X.The Congress leader also questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs following the death of Ayatollah Khamenei. “Ayatollah Khamenei, the constitutional head of state of Iran, was assassinated by the United States and Israel on February 28, 2026. The Prime Minister remained silent. The EAM remained silent. The obituary has not yet been received in Parliament,” he wrote.His remarks came after India supported a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution condemning Iran’s attacks on Middle Eastern countries.“India has rightly condemned Iran’s attacks on the Gulf countries but first remained completely silent on the US and Israeli attacks on Iran. It should be remembered that Iran is part of the BRICS+ forum of which India holds the chairmanship this year,” he further wrote.Recalling the death of former Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in 2024, Ramesh said the government had earlier announced a day of national mourning but was now hesitant. “In May 2024, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a mysterious helicopter crash. The Modi government ordered a day of mourning on May 21, 2024, and an obituary was issued when Parliament convened on July 1, 2024,” he wrote.Khamenei was killed in a joint Israeli-U.S. attack earlier this month. He was later succeeded by his second eldest son, Moitaba Khamenei.