New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma broke ranks with the party leadership on Thursday to endorse the Modi government’s foreign policy and strategic manoeuvring in the wake of a full-blown war in West Asia involving Israel, the United States, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Anand Sharma, who served as External Affairs Minister in the UPA government, took to X to explain in detail the challenging situation in West Asia, shed light on the enormity of the energy crisis arising out of constant bombing of energy reserves in the Gulf, and also expounded on why India’s role in the Global South has become all the more important.
The veteran of Congress, in a candid admission, praised India’s diplomatic handling of the crisis as “mature and skillful” and also called for building national consensus and resolve.
Anand Sharma’s defense of the government’s foreign policy of “engagement with all stakeholders” in the region marks a clear distinction from the Congress party’s stated stand, which accuses the Modi government of tilting towards the powerful US-Israel axis and undermining India’s long-term relations with Iran.
“Indian diplomatic handling of the crisis has been mature and skillful, avoiding potential minefields. India’s response must be backed by a national consensus and resolve. Government has held an all-party meeting to apprise the leadership of political Parties of the situation and policy decisions in an unpredictable and volatile situation,” said the former EAM Anand Sharma in a post on X.
“This national dialogue should be sustained. National unity and a mature response guided by national interest are the need of the hour,” he wrote further.
Further highlighting India’s long-standing record of standing by moral authority and commitment to peace in its foreign policy, he said, “There is much at stake, especially the future of the younger generation, and India must endeavour to mobilise the global south and strategic partner countries to collectively work for the restoration of peace and order.”
Anand Sharma’s restrained and open acknowledgment of the government’s positive and skillful approach also goes a long way toward dealing a crushing blow to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s “surrender narrative”, which the grand old party has made a rallying point to corner the government.
Also, Anand Sharma becomes the third Congress veteran to show trust in the Center’s handling of the West Asia crisis.
Earlier, Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari, both serving party MPs, justified India’s foreign policy in West Asia and expressed support for skillful management of the situation, while safeguarding the interests of the large Indian diaspora in the Gulf.
(IANS)
