The Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued a scathing critique of the Union government on Friday, denouncing what it termed a “deplorable attitude” toward the military actions launched by the United States and Israel against Iran.
In a formal statement from its Polit Bureau, the party accused the Centre of undermining India’s independent foreign policy and abandoning the nation’s historic anti-imperialist and non-aligned legacy. The CPI(M) argued that the government’s “silence and inaction” in the face of the escalating conflict represents a compromise of India’s strategic autonomy.
Highlighting the geographical spread of the war, the party pointed to the reported sinking of the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean by a US submarine torpedo. The party described it as “shameful” that India failed to provide security cover for the vessel as it departed from a joint naval exercise in Visakhapatnam. This perceived negligence was contrasted with the actions of Sri Lanka, which rescued 208 crew members from another Iranian ship, the IRIS Bushehr, and provided safe berthing at Trincomalee. According to the CPI(M), Sri Lanka’s adherence to international maritime law highlights India’s “squandering” of its leadership status in South Asia.
Furthermore, the party alleged that the Prime Minister’s diplomatic engagements, specifically his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, signaled a “complete capitulation” to Washington and stripped away any appearance of neutrality. The statement also condemned the government’s failure to denounce the targeted killings of senior Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, noting that such silence contradicts India’s traditional stance on national sovereignty.
Beyond diplomatic concerns, the CPI(M) warned of severe economic fallout following Iran’s reported closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a move that threatens India’s energy security. The party also took aim at the US administration’s “magnanimity” regarding oil trade, noting that India was granted only a 30-day reprieve to purchase Russian oil and would not receive the same concessions as China. Labeling the situation a “grave national embarrassment,” the CPI(M) demanded that the Modi government immediately call for a cessation of hostilities to retrieve national self-respect and urged swift measures to ensure the safety of the nearly one crore Indian migrant workers currently in West Asia.