India's Strategic Independence Questioned Amid US-Iran Naval Conflict

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot criticized India's government for not responding to a US submarine attack on an Iranian warship near the Indian Ocean. He emphasized India's history of strategic autonomy and questioned the silence over actions threatening regional security.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has strongly criticized the Indian government's silence over a recent US submarine attack that sank an Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, in the Indian Ocean. The attack occurred in international waters off Sri Lanka as the ship returned from participating in India's Milan naval exercise.

Gehlot highlighted India's historical stance of strategic autonomy, tracing back to Nehru's Non-Aligned Movement and Indira Gandhi's assertive diplomacy. He raised concerns over the government's muted reaction, suggesting it undermines India's sovereignty and credibility, citing a past instance when India responded firmly to US actions under Manmohan Singh's leadership.

The incident, wherein over 80 Iranian sailors were killed, has fueled regional tension, and Gehlot called for maintaining India's ethos of independence and protection of its maritime neighborhood. The ongoing conflict, involving joint US-Israel actions against Iran, has now escalated across the Gulf region.

(With inputs from agencies.)