‘Compromised PM cannot protect sons of Mother India’: Rahul slams Modi
NEW DELHI, June 12: India on Friday summoned US charge d’affaires Jason Meeks and told him that the American military’s “lethal and deadly” strikes on commercial vessels with Indian crew members off the coast of Oman are “unacceptable”.
Meeks was summoned to the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), a day after the government said three Indian crew members of a tanker were killed in the US action.
Meeks was summoned on Wednesday night as well.
“A strong protest was lodged with him regarding the continuing attacks by US naval forces on commercial vessels carrying Indian mariners in the Gulf of Oman, which have already resulted in the tragic and avoidable loss of three Indian lives,” the MEA said.
It said the ministry once again “conveyed its deep concern over the use of lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping. Such actions are unacceptable and undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region at a difficult time.” “The US charge d’affaires was requested to convey India’s strong concerns to his authorities and to ensure that US forces operating in the region take all necessary measures to prevent the loss of civilian life,” the MEA said in a statement.
India on Thursday said three merchant ships with Indian crew members came under attack from the American military off the coast of Oman this week, resulting in the death of three nationals.
It was New Delhi’s first public acknowledgement that the US Navy targeted the three ships with Indian crew members.
A Palau-flagged oil tanker, Marivex, carrying 24 Indian seafarers, was disabled by US forces on June 8. All crew members were safely rescued. On June 10, the US struck another Palau-flagged tanker, Settebello, killing three out of the 24 Indian sailors on board.
Another vessel, Jalveer, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker with 20 Indians, was attacked on Thursday.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday that the three separate strikes on the Settebello, Marivex, and Jalveer “came from the US Navy”.
Jaiswal said two of the three vessels were subject to sanctions administered by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), while another had been classified as non-compliant.
The OFAC is the financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the US Treasury Department and it acts against vessels involved in violating US sanctions on the sale of Iranian and Russian oil.
RAHUL ATTACKS MODI
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the deaths of three Indian seafarers in a US military strike on a commercial vessel, saying a “compromised PM” cannot protect the sons of ‘Mother India’ as he lacks both the courage and the strength to anger those who took away their lives.
In a post in Hindi on X, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha questioned Prime Minister Modi’s silence on the issue.
“Three Indians have been killed in US attacks on three ships in international waters within three days. And our Compromised PM… Not a single word. When any foreign power murders an Indian, the prime minister has to speak up.” “But he can never utter even one word. Next week at the G7, just days after the murder of our sailors, Modi ji will smile, embrace, and sign agreements — but for those three Indians, he won’t have a word to spare,” the former Congress chief said.
“A Compromised PM cannot protect the sons of Mother India, because he lacks both the courage and the strength to anger those who took away their lives,” Gandhi said.
The Congress on Thursday condemned America’s “reckless military actions” and demanded that the government take all necessary diplomatic measures to establish accountability.
The opposition party also asserted that Modi, who has repeatedly showcased his personal rapport with President Donald Trump as a diplomatic achievement, cannot evade responsibility when that relationship fails to protect Indian lives and interests.
In a statement, the Congress expressed profound grief at the tragic loss of three Indian sailors off the coast of Oman.
Prime Minister Modi, who has repeatedly showcased his personal rapport with President Trump as a diplomatic achievement, cannot evade responsibility when that relationship fails to protect Indian lives and interests, it said. (PTI)
