‘Why is India not able to speak out’: Gehlot questions ‘silence’ on Israel-Iran conflict

Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday questioned the central government over its alleged silence on the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.

He referred to the Non-Aligned Movement and said that India was at the forefront of the movement during the tenure of Indira Gandhi.

"Why is India not able to speak out today? During Indira Gandhi's time, there was the Non-Alignment Movement... India was the main leader of the third world nations, our identity was that we are non-aligned, we are not with any group," he said.

"Today, when there is a war between Iran and Israel, America says it will decide in 15 days and then suddenly enters the conflict at night with an attack. The world is in distress and India is silent. Why is India not saying anything?" he told reporters at PCC office here after paying tributes to Sanjay Gandhi on his death anniversary.

On Sonia Gandhi's recent article on the Iran-Israel conflict, he said that whatever she said was in the interest of the public and the country.

"India is such a big democratic country, people expect from us. Sonia Gandhi said all these things after thinking carefully, that is why the BJP got restless whereas people with positive thinking are analyzing her article in a good way and are also praising it," he said.

He said that during Indira Gandhi's time, there was a five-point programme which addressed issues like dowry, illiteracy, caste discrimination, family planning and environmental protection.

"These were revolutionary steps," Gehlot claimed.

He said that some of those reforms, especially during the Emergency period, such as the family planning campaign had drawn criticism but they were "visionary".

"At a time when India's population is around 140 crore, imagine where we would be without those programmes," he said.

Gehlot said that Congress-led governments in states like Rajasthan had carried forward that legacy through campaigns for literacy, environmental awareness, and water and electricity conservation.

"Today, Rahul Gandhi is emerging as a social reformer in that same tradition," Gehlot said, highlighting his push for a caste-based census.

"This would help frame inclusive welfare strategies for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and economically weaker sections, as well as general categories," he said.

He credited the Congress party with a consistent commitment to reform and cited contributions by leaders from Jawaharlal Nehru to Rajiv Gandhi, including constitutional amendments for local self-governance, lowering the voting age to 18 and expanding access to technology and telecommunications.

"Even before Independence, whether it was Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad or Sardar Patel, the Congress party led the nation with visionary steps and continued to do so after Independence," Gehlot said.