Congress MP Manish Tewari has backed the Centre's stance on the ongoing West Asia conflict, saying that it is not India's war and that India has always been a marginal player in the region.
Speaking at an event hosted by a TV news channel, Congress's Chandigarh MP said that, keeping in mind the interests of around 4.8 million Indians, the government is doing the right thing.
"Well, it’s not our war. We’ve always been rather marginal players in the greater Middle East, and the problems of the region did not start today," Tewari said.
"Since we have a huge diaspora, close to 48 million people, in addition to that, of course, the imperatives of our energy security, not limited to crude oil and natural gas, but also fertiliser, which is extremely important for our food security. If we are circumspect, I think probably we are doing the right thing, because that is really what strategic autonomy is about, the ability to protect your interests and navigate, if I may put it in those words, contradictory impulses," Tewari added.
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What did Shashi Tharoor say?
Earlier, senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor also extended support to the Centre. In a column for The Indian Express, Tharoor opined that India's silence is not an endorsement of the "unjustified" war.
Although he added that the condemnation of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should have been prompt
"The war on Iran is unjustifiable under international law. India’s silence is not an endorsement of that war. It is a recognition that our national interest requires prudence, not posturing. If I were advising any Indian government, I too would counsel restraint. Restraint is strength—the strength to balance principle with pragmatism, to honour our values while safeguarding our interests, and to navigate a dangerous world with wisdom rather than bravado," he said.
The statements by two senior leaders and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi's colleagues in the Lok Sabha contradict Congress's stance as the party has been a staunch critic of the government's silence and has repeatedly demanded a condemnation of Israeli and the US actions.
In Lok Sabha, Gandhi had questioned India's stance, asking whether PM Narendra Modi's silence on the death of a head of state implied support for the assassination.
In a post on X, Gandhi said, "Crores of people, including nearly a crore Indians, face uncertainty. While security concerns are real, attacks that violate sovereignty will only worsen the crisis. The unilateral attacks on Iran, as well as Iran’s attacks on other Middle Eastern nations, must be condemned".