NEW DELHI: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday criticised the Centre, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ‘moral cowardice and political betrayal’ as the US-Israel conflict with Iran enters its third week.In a post on X, Ramesh highlighted that it has been over three weeks since the aerial assault on Iran began and 23 days since the PM’s visit to Israel. He alleged that the government has remained silent and failed to take any substantive diplomatic initiative to de-escalate tensions.“It has been exactly 21 days or three weeks since the aerial assault of the US and Israel on Iran began. It has also been 23 days since the PM returned from his much-trumpeted visit to Israel. Has the Modi Govt condemned or criticised or deplored the launch of the heavy aerial assault on Iran by the US and Israel that has now led to severe economic dislocations everywhere including India? The answer is No,” Ramesh wrote on X. The Congress leader went on to pose four-pointed questions:
- Has the Modi Govt condemned or criticised or deplored the targeted assassinations of top Iranian leaders by the US and Israel that continues unabated?
- Has the Modi Govt condemned or criticised or deplored the brutal efforts of the US and Israel to force a regime change and state collapse that could lead to civil war in Iran?
- Has the Modi Govt mounted serious diplomatic efforts and initiatives to bring the bombing of Iran and Iran’s attacks on energy and other essential infrastructure in the Gulf countries to an immediate halt?
- Has the PM used his much-claimed friendship with the US President and the Israeli PM to bring about a cease-fire?
Answering all the four questions as a big ‘NO’, he further wrote in his post, “These 4 NOs reflect the moral cowardice and political betrayal of India’s civilisational values.”His remarks come as the US has intensified its military campaign against Iran. On Friday, US President Donald Trump indicated that Washington is nearing its objectives and may soon wind down its operations. Meanwhile, the US Central Command reported significant damage to Iranian military assets under ‘Operation Epic Fury’, including strikes on drone production facilities and naval infrastructure. Pentagon officials stated that thousands of targets have been hit in recent operations, signalling the intensification of US military actions in the region.