Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi, on Saturday, February 28, denounced Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel, calling it untimely and a “betrayal of India’s long-standing foreign policy” amid the escalating Iran–Israel conflict.
Drawing on India’s eighty-year history of neutrality in West Asia, Owaisi questioned the Prime Minister’s reason for abandoning the stance.
Nearly 10 million Indians reside in Gulf countries, he warned, asking what message the Prime Minister’s visit sends to the region during heightened tensions.
If Prime Minister Modi’s aircraft had been mid-air during the Israel-Iran escalation, the gravity of the situation would have been far more evident, Owaisi remarked.
Modi’s visit to Israel was “politically exploited by Israel” for its own strategic narrative, the MP said while referring to statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He accused Israel of using Modi’s presence to show “international endorsement” at a time when the state faces criticism.
Owaisi highlighted the government’s “lack of foresight and risk assessment” and stated that several Indian media personnel who travelled to Israel cover the PM’s visit now remain stranded due to the escalating conflict in the region.
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