'India Has a Compromised PM'; Rahul Questions Modi's Silence Over Sinking of Iran Vessel in Indian Ocean

Udaipur, March 4, 2026 - The Congress has launched yet another scathing attack on the Indian Government, especially the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi, in a statement on his social media platform said that the world has entered a volatile phase and stormy seas lie ahead, with the conlifct having reached India's backyard. He said that even after the US sunk an Iranian ship in the Indian Ocean in Sri Lankan waters, the Indian Prime Minister has made no statement. "At a moment like this, we need a steady hand at the wheel', said Gandhi.

Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh, the Congress General Secretary in-Charge Communication, said that the PM's silence on the sinking of the Iranian ship should not be surprising, since the Modi government has yet not spoken up over the targetted assassinations in Iran. He was referring to the killing of the Iranian Supremo, Ayatollah Khamenei by US-Israel joint attack. Ramesh added that the Indian government has never looked so timid and fearful in the past.

The sinking of the Iranian ship in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday (March 4) resulted in the death of 87 sailors. Around 32 were rescued and are under treatment in Sri Lanka. The IRIS Dena was a part of the Indian Navy's flagship multi-lateral exercise MILAN, the 13th edition of which was held in Visakhapatnam from February 19-25. Partipants included 18 warships from other countries including USA and Iran.

The US sinking of an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka’s coast expands the deepening Middle East war to India’s doorstep, unsettling New Delhi’s calibrated approach to the conflict as Iran vowed to avenge the attack.  - Bloomberg Report

Adding to the attack, the Congress Party president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Modi government's reckless abdication of India's strategic and national interests is there for all to see".

The US attack took place just days after the Iranian ship had participated in a flagship Indian naval exercise at the invitation of New Delhi, alongside Indian and other foreign warships, including from the US. The incident expands the geography of the conflict to an area squarely within India’s strategic neighborhood and puts the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a difficult position as it continues to avoid taking firm sides in the widening Middle East conflict - Bloomberg Report

Political analysts say this incident is a major escalation to the regional war and questions maritime security in the Indian Ocean.