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Sonia Gandhi has stepped in to ensure Shia Muslims are happy with the Grand Old Party and repay it by returning to the fold
Sonia Gandhi echoed the official stand of the party—not just on Iran, but also on Palestine. (PTI)
Sonia Gandhi’s editorial in a daily newspaper has evoked controversy once again. In her article, Gandhi questioned the silence of the Narendra Modi government on Iran, noting that: “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. This represents not just a loss of voice but also a surrender of values.”
Adding that Iran has always been a friend of India and “we should stand by it”, Sonia Gandhi echoed the official stand of the party—not just on Iran, but also on Palestine. In fact, just a few days back, Priyanka Vadra had attacked the Modi government for its abstention at the UN Security Council on the issue of Israel. Her famous pro-Palestine bag that she carried to Parliament had evoked a sharp response from the BJP, which accused her of politicising the issue and trying to appease the minority vote bank.
But has Iran been India’s all-weather friend? And has it always steered clear of controversy? Not really.
In 2024, India had strongly objected to a social media post by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in which he said: “The enemies of Islam have always tried to make us indifferent with regard to our shared identity as an Islamic ummah. We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in Myanmar, Gaza or India.”
India’s foreign ministry had condemned the comment as “misinformed and unacceptable”. Not just this, Iran had also meddled in India’s internal affairs and condemned the revocation of Article 370 in Kashmir.
The fact is that India and Iran have shared changing relations. In 1994, when a UN body was talking about sanctions against India on grounds of human rights violations in Kashmir, Iran had bailed India out. What Sonia Gandhi is referring to is the fact that India has forgotten this favour, preferring to ally with Western nations, the US and Israel by refusing to endorse a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation statement, which condemned Israel’s attack on Tehran.
Behind this diplomatic stand are objections raised by the Congress. And behind the Congress’ objections is its Muslim vote bank, which it has lost to other regional parties like the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and RJD over the years. Congress wants to reclaim its turf and hence, Sonia Gandhi has stepped in and upped the stakes for the party to ensure Shia Muslims are happy with the Grand Old Party and repay it by returning to the fold.
Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als…Read More
Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als… Read More
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