Jairam Ramesh compares Parliament to North Korea's, slams government for ditching India's foreign policy stance

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh slammed BJP MPs for their "excessive" adulation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament, likening it to the fawning displays at North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly.

In a PTI interview, the senior Rajya Sabha MP criticized India's foreign policy amid US and Israeli strikes on Iran. He claimed all key decisions—from external affairs to finance—are now controlled by one man: the Prime Minister.

"Sometimes I get the impression that I’m sitting in the Parliament of North Korea," Ramesh said, referencing the spectacle when leader Kim Jong Un enters. He described arriving first and leaving last in sessions, only to hear BJP members devote 90% of speeches to Modi praise, regardless of topic or bill.

"Whatever be the subject, whatever the issue, 90 per cent of the speech will be praising the Prime Minister. Nothing to do with the subject, nothing to do with the bill. They will be praising the Prime Minister," he alleged.

Ramesh contrasted this with past leaders. Even after Pakistan's 1971 surrender, Indira Gandhi got cheers—but not constant "Modi bhajans," he quipped. "When Mr Nehru walked in, nobody said, ‘Nehru, Nehru, Nehru.'"

He broadened his attack to Modi's foreign policy, especially in West Asia. " It is very clear that the Modi government is totally allied with Israel. It is afraid of (US President Donald) Trump. It has embraced Israel. It is very unfortunate. What happened on October 7, 2023, was absolutely unacceptable. No question about it. What Israel has done subsequently, and what the US has supported along with Israel to do in Gaza and in Iran, that also is equally unacceptable."

India recognized Palestine in 1988 among the first nations, Ramesh noted, yet now shows "moral cowardice." He highlighted economic stakes: nearly 10 million Indians in the Middle East send $40-50 billion in remittances yearly, with Kerala's economy heavily reliant. Citizen safety must come first.

India's independent policy is gone, he charged, replaced by "huggomacy"—hugging leaders for show. Key announcements, like halting Operation Sindoor or trade deals, come from Washington, not Delhi. "Why can’t we take our people into confidence?"

Dismissing claims of a "Leftist" stance, Ramesh called it "nationalist," citing Indira Gandhi's defiance of Nixon in 1971. "Nobody can dictate to us what our relationship with Russia will be," he said on defense and energy links. India's global standing has "come down dramatically," with policy fueling domestic polarization, he added.

(Inputs from IANS)