Congress Slams Jaishankar’s West Asia Statement, Targets Modi’s Foreign Policy

The Congress claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy ("misadventurism") and the government's undermining of the Indian Foreign Service are driving India into "vassalage" on Monday, calling External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's statement on the West Asia situation in Parliament "vapid."

The EAM's statement "inexplicably" made no protest against the sinking of IRIS Dena in India's strategic backyard, which jeopardises India's role as a net-security provider in the Indian Ocean Region, according to a statement released by the Congress's foreign affairs department, led by former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid.

Jaishankar's statement neither condemned the targeted killing of the head of state of a sovereign nation, nor did it offer solutions to redress the serious geo-economic and geopolitical costs that India is having to bear, and escalations that it may have to face, the party said in the statement.

"The Indian National Congress (INC) expresses grave concern at the External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar's vapid parliamentary statement on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party government on 9 March 2026," it said.

"The EAM's statement also offered no solutions on how India will diversify our energy security needs or reassert our energy sovereignty, which is being dictated by foreign powers (who are deigning to 'allow' a 30-day OFAC waiver)," the AICC foreign affairs department said.

The EAM's statement also avoided discussing how "Prime Minister Modi's ill-advised endorsement" of the war through his recent trip has directly contributed to the dismantling of the rules-based global order and has contributed to the perception that India is abdicating moral leadership of the Global South, ironically in a year when we chair the BRICS.

"The EAM's statement was sadly bereft of any laser-eyed insights into the paradigm global shift underway, or a structured vision for India to better navigate global disruptions, and any resolve to effectively defend India's values and interests in an increasingly unstable global order," it added.

"Prime Minister Modi's foreign policy (mis)adventurism coupled with the BJP government's undermining of the Indian Foreign Service are regrettably pushing India into vassalage, circumscribing the bipartisan strategic and diplomatic achievements since independence," the statement said.

With the safety of about one crore Indians in the region as its top priority, along with securing energy security and trade, India on Monday called for a de-escalation of tensions in West Asia and called for communication and diplomacy to tackle all underlying issues.

On February 28, Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was murdered in a significant military assault by the United States and Israel. According to officials, the conflict has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, 397 in Lebanon, and 11 in Israel thus far.

Jaishankar stated in a suo motu speech in Parliament that New Delhi supported preserving the geographical integrity and sovereignty of every state in the area.  He defended allowing the Iranian ship to dock at an Indian port as the right decision taken on humanitarian grounds.

He said the Indian government has been constantly monitoring the evolving situation in the region at the highest level and has already brought back 67,000 stranded Indians from the conflict zone.

Jaishankar said the safety of Indian nationals and national interests, such as energy security and trade, remain the topmost priority for the government.

"India is in favour of peace and urges a return to dialogue and diplomacy. We advocate de-escalation, restraint, and ensuring the safety of civilians," he said in identical statements in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

"The well-being and security of the Indian community in the region is our priority. And our national interests, including energy security and trade, will always be paramount," he said.