Congress slams Centre's 'vapid' response to West Asia crisis

Congress slammed the Centre's response to the West Asia crisis, with Salman Khurshid calling EAM Jaishankar's parliamentary statement 'vapid' and raising concerns over India's strategic, economic, and diplomatic interests in the region.

Congress slammed the Centre's response to the escalating West Asia crisis, with former External Affairs Minister and President of Congress' Foreign Affairs Department, Salman Khurshid, raising concerns over India's strategic, economic and diplomatic interests in the region following EAM S Jaishankar's statement in Parliament.

Congress, in an official statement, expressed "grave concern" over what it described as an inadequate response by the government to the rapidly evolving conflict in West Asia.

Congress Details Failures in EAM's Statement

"The Indian National Congress expresses grave concern at the External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar's vapid parliamentary statement on behalf of the BJP government on March 9," Khurshid said in the post, alleging that the statement failed to address several key issues affecting India's strategic interests.

The Congress statement claimed that the minister did not protest against the sinking of IRIS Dena in the region and also didn't condemned the killing of the head of state of Iran. "The EAM's statement inexplicably made no protest against the sinking of IRIS Dena in India's strategic backyard, which compromises our role as a net-security provider in the Indian Ocean Region; nor did it condemn the targeted killing of the head of state of a sovereign nation; nor did it offer solutions to redress the serious geo-economic and geopolitical costs that India is having to bear, and escalations that we may have to face," the statement stated.

Congress further said the statement did not provide concrete proposals to safeguard India's strategic investments and trade interests, including crude oil imports, basmati rice exports, and fertiliser supplies.

The Congress also raised concerns over the safety of nearly nine million Indians living in West Asia amid the escalating conflict.

"The EAM's statement also offered no solutions on how India will diversify our energy security needs or reassert our energy sovereignty, which is being dictated by foreign powers (who are deigning to 'allow' a 30-day OFAC waiver)," it said.

Attack on PM Modi's Foreign Policy

"The EAM's statement also skirted around the issue of how Prime Minister Modi's ill-advised endorsement of the war through his recent trip has not only contributed to the perception that India is abdicating moral leadership of the Global South (ironically in a year when we chair the BRICS) but is directly complicit in the dismantling of the rules based global order. The EAM's statement was sadly bereft of any laser-eyed insights into the paradigm global shift underway, or a structured vision for India to better navigate global disruptions, and any resolve to effectively defend India's values and interests in an increasingly unstable global order," it added.

Further, the Opposition party launched a sharp attack on the foreign policy approach by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government's "foreign policy (mis)adventurism" and the weakening of the Indian Foreign Service are pushing India toward "vassalage," undermining the bipartisan diplomatic achievements built since Indian Independence.

"Prime Minister Modi's foreign policy (mis)adventurism, coupled with the BJP government's undermining of the Indian Foreign Service are regrettably pushing India into vassalage, circumscribing the bipartisan strategic and diplomatic achievements since independence," the statement stated.

Jaishankar Briefs Parliament on Govt Stance

This came after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefed the Rajya Sabha on the evolving situation in West Asia following US-Israeli strikes on Iran that triggered a wider regional conflict.

Addressing the House, Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was closely monitoring the developments and that relevant ministries were coordinating to ensure an effective response. He reiterated India's call for restraint and emphasised that dialogue and diplomacy remain the best path to de-escalate tensions in the region, even as Opposition members demanded a detailed debate on the issue. (ANI)

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