Congress has expressed serious concerns over External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent statement in Parliament, labeling it as “vapid” and insufficient in addressing India’s strategic issues in West Asia. The party, through senior leader Salman Khurshid, criticized the Minister for not protesting against the sinking of IRIS Dena in India’s strategic region, which undermines India’s role as a security provider in the Indian Ocean. Additionally, Congress highlighted the absence of condemnation for the targeted killing of a sovereign nation’s head of state and the lack of solutions to address India’s growing geo-economic and geopolitical challenges.
The party further pointed out that the statement failed to offer concrete plans to protect India’s strategic investments and bilateral trade in commodities like crude oil, basmati rice, urea, and fertilizers in West Asia. It also noted the absence of measures to safeguard the nine million Indian residents in the region. Congress criticized the lack of a clear roadmap to diversify India’s energy security and ensure energy sovereignty, currently influenced by foreign powers providing only a 30-day OFAC waiver.
Moreover, the statement accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of endorsing war through recent actions, leading to a perception that India is relinquishing its moral leadership in the Global South, especially during its BRICS chairmanship. Congress alleged that these actions have portrayed India as complicit in undermining the rules-based global order. The party emphasized that the Minister’s remarks lacked insights into the ongoing global shifts and failed to present a strategic vision for India to navigate disruptions and protect its values and interests in an increasingly volatile world.
Congress further criticized what it called Prime Minister Modi’s foreign policy “misadventurism” and the alleged weakening of the Indian Foreign Service by the BJP government, which it believes is pushing India towards a state of “vassalage” and eroding strategic and diplomatic achievements made since independence. The statement was issued by the Foreign Affairs Department of the Congress.
