Kerala CM says India must stand with Iran, not US–Israeli imperialism at anti-war rally
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Criticising the stance of the Narendra Modi government on the recent U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran, Pinarayi Vijayan said the Union government’s position amounted to what he described as an “extremely humiliating submission” to imperial powers.
He was speaking while inaugurating a rally in Kozhikode on Friday organised to express solidarity with Iran and protest against the military actions by the United States and Israel. Hundreds participated in the demonstration organised by the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Vijayan said the country was being aligned with imperial powers and accused the Centre of effectively surrendering before them. He said the development should be viewed seriously and added that strong public opinion must emerge against it so that the Indian government would be compelled to correct its position.
The Chief Minister also noted that India and Iran shared a long historical relationship and said Iran had traditionally remained a friendly country towards India. According to him, the current stance of the Union government had left many Indians feeling humiliated, Maktoob Media reported.
He further alleged that despite large-scale civilian casualties in Gaza and Iran due to Israeli and American actions, the Indian government had been reluctant to criticise what he termed American imperialism. Vijayan said that instead the Prime Minister had taken a position supportive of Israel, pointing to images of Modi embracing the Israeli Prime Minister even as Israeli attacks were ongoing. He argued that such gestures conveyed to the international community that India stood with Israel.
Vijayan also referred to an alleged incident in which an Iranian ship returning after taking part in a joint naval exercise in India was attacked by the United States, resulting in the deaths of several sailors. He said the vessel had participated in an exercise hosted by India and questioned why the Centre had not condemned the attack, adding that the sailors had come to the country as guests and that remaining silent on the incident reflected what he called shameful submission.
He further claimed that Zionists in Israel and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh shared similar ideological positions, which he said had contributed to the emergence of a stance that fully supported Israel.
Vijayan also said that global public opinion largely opposed the attacks carried out by the United States and Israel. According to him, several traditional Western allies — including European countries and members of NATO — had not openly endorsed the move. He further argued that the underlying motive behind the attacks was the United States’ interest in securing control over a significant share of the world’s oil resources.
