Congress targets Modi on foreign policy, citing passport denials and ‘silence’ on Gaza

In separate posts on X, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Jairam Ramesh questioned the decline in ratings of the Indian passport and attacked Prime Minister Modi’s silence on Israel’s actions in Gaza. File | Photo credit: PTI

New Delhi

The Congress on Monday (July 6, 2026) stepped up its attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the foreign policy front, accusing his government of eroding India’s global standing and abandoning the country’s moral voice in West Asia.

In separate posts on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the decline in ratings of the Indian passport, while Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh attacked Mr Modi’s silence on Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Mr Kharge argued that the Union Government’s policy had damaged India’s global reputation, contrasting the Prime Minister’s claim in 2018 that Indians abroad knew “today’s respect and power of the Indian passport” with a recent passport review. He said India had slipped from 74th in 2013 to 80th in June 2026, according to the World Economic Forum, in one global passport ranking, while another index, Global Citizens Solution, placed it 125th this year.

He also criticized the increase in passport fees, noting that the fee for obtaining a passport has increased from ₹1,500 to ₹2,500, while tatkal fees have increased to ₹5,000.

Mr Kharge further pointed out that foreign tourist arrivals remain below pre-Covid levels – falling from 10.93 million in 2019 to 9.95 million in 2024 – and questioned whether the government was “masking this failure” by linking NRI arrivals with foreign tourist figures.

It also called India’s official visa application portal outdated and confusing.

Silence in Gaza

In another attack on the Prime Minister, Mr Ramesh invoked his “stone silence” on the “Israeli genocide in Gaza”, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited support from India while dismissing US Vice President JD Vance’s remarks that Washington was Israel’s only powerful ally.

Calling Mr Modi a “self-proclaimed, prize-hungry Vishwaguru”, Mr Ramesh said the Prime Minister’s silence betrayed India’s “civilizational ethos and values” and was “simply unconscionable”.

“Getting a certificate from Mr. Netanyahu is no badge of honor, especially when he himself is isolated and has drawn frustration and anger even from Mr. Modi’s very own good friend in the White House,” Mr. Ramesh said.

Published – 06 Jul 2026 23:20 IST