Key facts
- Three Indian sailors were killed off the coast of Oman in a US strike.
- Indian opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence on the incident.
- Rahul Gandhi accused the US of issuing orders without apology and stated Modi listened "like an obedient servant".
- The issue has been raised by the opposition ahead of Modi's likely meeting with President Donald Trump at the G7 summit in France.
Indian opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence regarding the deaths of three Indian sailors off the coast of Oman in a recent US strike on an oil tanker. Kharge stated that three days had passed since the incident without any public statement or condolence message from Modi, accusing him of belittling India's global standing and sovereignty.
Party leader Rahul Gandhi further targeted the prime minister, referencing a US statement that violations of its blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and illicit transport of Iranian oil would not be tolerated. Gandhi remarked that days after the sailors' deaths, there was neither regret nor apology from the US, which continued to issue orders. He contrasted this with the expected response of a sovereign nation, stating that India's "compromised PM" remained silent and complied with orders like an "obedient servant."