NEW DELHI, June 21 – Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched a sharp critique of the Narendra Modi-led government on Saturday, accusing it of forsaking India’s principled legacy of non-alignment and peace diplomacy by remaining silent in the face of Israel’s ongoing military aggression in Gaza and its recent strikes against Iran.
In a signed article titled “It Is Still Not Too Late for India’s Voice to Be Heard” published in The Hindu, Gandhi described the government’s silence as “not just a loss of voice, but also a surrender of values.”
“New Delhi’s silence on the devastation in Gaza and now on the unprovoked escalation against Iran reflects a disturbing departure from our moral and diplomatic traditions,” she wrote. “India must speak clearly, act responsibly, and use every diplomatic channel available to defuse tensions and promote a return to dialogue in West Asia.”
Gandhi said the Modi administration has “all but abandoned” India’s historic support for a two-state solution—one that guarantees a sovereign and secure Palestine living side-by-side with Israel.
She also took aim at U.S. President Donald Trump for what she termed a “destructive path” in West Asia, noting that his rhetoric on avoiding endless wars now stood in contrast to his hawkish stance on Iran. Referring to Trump’s June 17 statement dismissing the U.S. intelligence community’s findings and warning that Iran was “very close” to acquiring nuclear weapons, she wrote: “The world expects and needs leadership that is grounded in facts and driven by diplomacy, and not by force or falsehoods.”
The Congress leader expressed deep concern over the June 13 Israeli airstrike on Iran, calling it a “deeply troubling and unlawful” act. “The world has once again witnessed the dangerous consequences of unilateral militarism,” Gandhi wrote, adding that the attack violated Iranian sovereignty and risked grave regional and global escalation.
She said the Indian National Congress had unequivocally condemned both Israel’s targeted assassinations on Iranian soil and its “brutal and disproportionate” campaign in Gaza. “As with so many of Israel’s recent actions, this operation was executed with utter disregard for civilian lives and regional stability,” she noted.
Gandhi alleged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “a long and unfortunate record of undermining peace and nurturing extremism,” adding, “It is not surprising that Netanyahu would choose escalation over engagement.”
While condemning Hamas’s “absolutely horrific and totally unacceptable attacks” on October 7, 2023, Gandhi said that could not justify Israel’s devastating military response. “More than 55,000 Palestinians have lost their lives. Entire families, neighbourhoods, and even hospitals have been obliterated. Gaza stands on the brink of famine,” she wrote.
She warned that Israel’s actions were unfolding in an “atmosphere of impunity,” enabled by “near-unconditional support from powerful Western nations.”
Stressing India’s unique geopolitical positioning and civilizational ties in the region, Gandhi said New Delhi has both the “moral responsibility and the diplomatic leverage to act as a bridge for de-escalation and peace.”
“Iran has been a long-standing friend to India,” she added, recalling Tehran’s support for India during the 1994 UN Commission on Human Rights session, when Iran helped block a resolution critical of India on Kashmir. “Indeed, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been more cooperative with India than its predecessor, the Imperial State of Iran, which had tilted towards Pakistan during the 1965 and 1971 wars.”
She also stressed that the wellbeing of millions of Indians living and working across West Asia should make regional peace “a matter of vital national interest.”
Calling for a return to India’s foundational foreign policy ideals, Gandhi concluded, “It is still not too late. India must reclaim its voice and its values.”
