Ashok Gehlot slams Centre’s silence on U.S. attack on Iranian warship in Indian Ocean

Veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Thursday (March 5, 2026) criticised the Centre for its “strategic silence” on the U.S. submarine attack which sank the Iranian warship, IRIS Dena, near Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. Mr. Gehlot said India’s strength lies in its independent voice, rather than in “subservience to any power”.

“India has never compromised on its sovereignty and policies under pressure from any other country. In our own maritime neighbourhood, the attack on a vessel which was a guest in MILAN-2026 [in Visakhapatnam] and our silence [on it] raises questions about India’s credibility,” Mr. Gehlot said in a post on X.

Mr. Gehlot, the former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, affirmed that staying silent on the “arbitrary action” of the U.S. would go against India’s cultural ethos of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ and military pride. “Is the silence of India, known as the net security provider of Indian Ocean, a sign of diplomatic pressure?” he asked.

An emerging superpower should not remain a mute spectator to such violent incidents in its own region, Mr. Gehlot said. “If we are the true protectors of Indian Ocean, we must put our autonomy and safety of our guests above all else,” he said.

The Congress leader pointed out that India had never bowed to the pressure of any superpower, from Jawaharlal Nehru’s Non-Aligned Movement to Indira Gandhi’s fearless diplomacy.

He recalled the 2013 case of diplomat Devyani Khobragade, whose arrest in the U.S. on charges of visa fraud and perjury had led to a major diplomatic standoff. The then Manmohan Singh government had responded with “tit for tat” by stripping the American diplomats of their privileges, Mr. Gehlot said.