Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s over the West Asia crisis, saying India’s foreign policy had become "his personal foreign policy" and a "universal joke."
Asked about reports of Pakistan being one of the intermediaries between the US-Israel and Iran, and India's stand on the West Asia crisis, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, "Our foreign policy is PM Modi's personal foreign policy. You can see the result of this. It's a universal joke. Everybody considers it a universal joke. Donald Trump knows exactly what Modi can do and what he can not do. So, if the PM is compromised, our foreign policy is compromised."
Referring to PM’s speech in the Lok Sabha, where he warned of a COVID-like crisis, Rahul said he (Modi) had forgotten how many people died and the extent of the tragedies that took place during the pandemic. He alleged that the government has no understanding of such issues.
"He gave irrelevant speech yesterday (in Lok Sabha). He is India's Prime Minister, it should appear that he is India's PM. There is no position at all. It is sad that the people will suffer, it has just begun. We will face issues concerning LPG, petrol, fertilizer everything... He claims the situation will be like Covid, but he forgot how many people died during Covid and the amount of tragedies that took place," Gandhi said.
The Congress leader said he would not be able to take part in the all-party meeting on Wednesday on West Asia as he has a programme to attend in Kerala. He also alleged that the government would act at the behest of the US and Israel rather than in India’s interests.
"An all-party meeting has been called, and there should be a debate. But you have made a structural mistake. You have completely dismantled the entire framework. Now it cannot be fixed... I can put that in writing for you that PM Modi cannot do it," Gandhi said.
"PM Modi will do whatever the United States and Israel say. He will not work in the interest of India or in the interest of farmers; rather, he will act according to what the United States and Israel say," he added.
Earlier on Monday, Modi addressed the Lok Sabha, where he termed the West Asia conflict "worrisome", saying it had created “unprecedented” challenges for India that are not only economic and related to national security but also humanitarian. He said a unanimous voice should go out to the world from India's Parliament on this crisis.
And on Tuesday, the prime minister addressed the Rajya Sabha where he warned that if the West Asia crisis persists for a longer period, "serious consequences are imminent."
