New Delhi: The opposition on Thursday questioned the government’s silence on a US submarine sinking an Iranian warship with a torpedo in international waters off Sri Lanka’s coast, with Rahul Gandhi saying the conflict has reached “our backyard and while India needs a steady hand at the wheel, it has a “compromised PM”.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Narendra Modi government’s “reckless abdication” of India’s strategic and national interests is there for all to see.
Lashing out at the Congress for wanting India to “blindly side with Iran”, the BJP said the country’s foreign policy must be guided by national interest and the safety of its citizens, not by the compulsions of the opposition party’s “outdated ideological reflexes”.
Several BJP leaders, including Amit Malviya and Pradeep Bhandari, spoke on the issue, calling the Congress “anti-India” and alleging that the main opposition party pursues divisive politics. It only loves its vote bank, not the country and its people, the ruling party alleged.
Their remarks come a day after a US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in international waters off Sri Lanka’s coast when it was returning after participating in the Milan naval exercise, a multilateral wargame hosted by India.
In a post on X, Kharge said, “An Iranian ship, a guest of India, was returning unarmed from the International Fleet Review 2026, hosted by us, and was torpedoed in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). No statement of concern or condolence. PM Modi remains mute.”
“Why lecture us on the doctrines of MAHASAGAR and India being a ‘Net Security Provider’ in the IOR, when you can’t react to what is happening in your own backyard? As many as 38 Indian Flag commercial ships along with 1100 sailors are stuck in the Gulf of Hormuz,” he said.
Gandhi said the world has entered a volatile phase and “stormy seas lie ahead”.
“India’s oil supplies are under threat, with more than 40 per cent of our imports transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The situation is even worse for LPG and LNG,” he said on X.
“The conflict has reached our backyard, with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean. Yet the Prime Minister has said nothing,” Gandhi said.
He said that at a moment like this, India needs a steady hand at the wheel. “Instead, India has a compromised PM who has surrendered our strategic autonomy,” Gandhi alleged.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, also said maybe it should not be surprising since the Modi government has still not broken its silence over the targeted assassinations in Iran.
“Never before has the Indian government looked so timid and fearful,” the Congress leader said.
In a statement, the Congress’ Foreign Affairs Department, headed by Salman Khurshid, expressed its profound concern over the attack on the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in international waters off Sri Lanka.
“Given India has consistently been a Net Security Provider in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the BJP government’s silence is an abject abdication of India’s responsibilities as a maritime power.
“It also undermines India’s legitimate interests in the IOR by narrowing the scope of our operational footprint and acquiescing to foreign interference within our own strategic backyard,” the statement said.
The statement also said, “The BJP government should realise that India’s operational footprint and commitment to international law does not end 12 nautical miles off our coast — nor does it stop at the edge of our Exclusive Economic Zone.
“India must strongly assert its legitimate interests in the Indian Ocean Region, and not cede hard-fought space that other nations could exploit,” it said.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed concern over the sinking of the Iranian warship, saying the vessel and its crew were guests of India for a multilateral naval exercise.
“It is unfortunate that an attack was carried out on the Iranian warship. They were our guests and had come here for a naval exercise. While returning, it was attacked. In some way, our country is also being dragged into this situation. What will happen in the future is beyond my jurisdiction,” he said.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah also slammed the US-Israel strikes on Iran, and said no country has the right to impose its control over another nation.
AAP leader Manish Sisodia alleged that Prime Minister Modi’s “silence” on the US-Iran conflict sends a “dangerous signal” at a time when global tensions are escalating.
“Yesterday, the United States brought this war almost to India’s doorstep. Twenty-four hours have passed, but not a single word has come from India’s prime minister. This silence is a dangerous signal,” he said.
Former Rajasthan chief minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said India’s strength lies in its independent voice, not in “subservience” to any power, as he questioned the central government’s “silence” over the US submarine attack.
Referring to the US strike on the Iranian vessel, Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot said India should not remain silent when such incidents occur close to its area of influence.
“America has carried out an attack, and a ship has been sunk. I believe our government and the country should take a stand on this. If a war is happening elsewhere, but such one-sided activity takes place in our area of influence, then remaining silent is not right,” he said.
