Mumbai, Mar 1 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday slammed the BJP-led Centre for its stand following the US-Israeli attack on India’s “friend” Iran that claimed the life of its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and raised questions about its foreign policy.
Speaking to reporters, Raut said that Iran’s becoming weak is also dangerous for India because if the US and Israel control the West Asian country, their steps will move towards India.
“India has taken no stand on the issue. The war has reached its doorstep,” he claimed.
The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, killing Khamenei. Following the development, India urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid escalation, emphasising that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected.
Raut termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel last week as a “jolt to India’s global policy”, and dubbed Khamenei’s killing as cruelty and bullying by Israel and the US.
“Iran was India’s friend, and so is Israel. Iran has openly backed us on the Kashmir issue and has provided us with oil at a low price due to its friendship with New Delhi,” he said.
India should have taken a stand for Iran, the Rajya Sabha MP said.
If President Trump claims that he stopped the India-Pakistan conflict last year, it is PM Modi’s responsibility to save Iran, he claimed.
“What was India’s leadership and its foreign policy doing when Khamenei and his family were killed? This is an unfortunate incident for global politics and bad for the stability of West Asia,” Raut said.
He further noted that the US has backed Pakistan in its attack on Afghanistan, claiming that conflicts have reached India’s doorstep and will affect the country economically, and can change its geography.
Raut also raised questions about the Indian government’s plans to evacuate citizens from the country who are stranded in conflict-affected zones. PTI PR ARU
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