Modi diminishing BRICS+ presidency value to appease Trump, Netanyahu: Congress

The Indian National Congress (INC) on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Union government for not issuing a collective statement on the escalating West Asia conflict in its capacity as the 2026 chair of the BRICS+ grouping, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of undermining the forum’s standing in an attempt to maintain close ties with Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh recalled that Brazil, which held the BRICS+ presidency in 2025, had successfully brought together the 11-member grouping to issue a joint statement in June last year condemning the air assaults carried out by the United States and Israel on Iran.

“India is boasting of being the President of BRICS+ in 2026. But till now it has not summoned up the inclination or the courage to put out a collective statement on the US-Israel air offensives on and targeted assassinations in Iran, as well as on Iran’s subsequent attacks on non-military targets in the GCC countries, and the shocking action of the US Navy in the Indian Ocean close to both Sri Lanka and India,” Ramesh wrote on X.

According to the Congress leader, Prime Minister Modi’s attempt to maintain cordial relations with Washington and Tel Aviv was eroding the credibility of India’s leadership role within the BRICS+ grouping. “In his desire to appease President Trump and maintain his cozy relationship with Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr. Modi is diminishing the value and standing of the BRICS+ Presidency,” he said.

The Opposition party has also been critical of what it describes as the government’s silence on recent developments in the conflict. Last week, the Congress accused the Centre of failing to respond strongly to the assassination of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, claiming that the government was reluctant to antagonise its American and Israeli partners.

Ramesh had earlier said that while India had rightly condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Gulf states, it had remained “completely quiet” about the initial US-Israeli assault on Iran.

The Congress has also demanded a discussion in both Houses of Parliament on the West Asia crisis and its possible implications for India. However, the party alleged that the government has been “adamantly refusing” to allow such a debate.

Tensions over the issue were visible in Parliament last week when Congress members staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha and protested in the Lok Sabha, expressing dissatisfaction with the statement delivered by external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The party described Jaishankar’s remarks as “vapid” and accused the government’s foreign policy of drifting toward “vassalage”, alleging that Prime Minister Modi’s “(mis)adventurism”, combined with what it called the government’s weakening of the Indian Foreign Service, was exposing the country diplomatically.

The current crisis traces back to 28 February, when the United States and Israel launched a major military strike on Iran, an operation that reportedly resulted in the killing of Iran’s supreme leader.

Responding to concerns in Parliament, Jaishankar made a suo motu statement outlining the government’s position. He said India remains committed to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region. The minister also defended the government’s decision to allow an Iranian ship to dock at an Indian port, describing it as a humanitarian measure.

Jaishankar added that the government has been closely monitoring the rapidly evolving situation in West Asia at the highest levels and has already facilitated the evacuation of around 67,000 stranded Indians from the conflict zone.

He emphasised that the safety of Indian citizens abroad, along with national interests such as energy security and trade, remains the government’s top priority as the crisis continues to unfold.

With PTI inputs