Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is opening a political rally in Kozhikode on Friday to express solidarity with Iran and protest against US-Israeli military actions. | Photo credit: K. RAGESH
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticized the Union government’s stance on the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, saying the Centre’s position amounted to “extremely humiliating submission” to the imperial powers.
He was opening a major political rally in Kozhikode on Friday to express solidarity with Iran and protest US-Israeli military actions.
The chief minister said that the silence of the Union government on the aggression against Iran was regrettable. “The country is tied to the imperial powers and is surrendering to them. This needs to be taken seriously. There should be a strong public opinion against this and the Indian government should correct its stand,” Vijayan said.
He said that India and Iran shared an ancient relationship and that Iran historically stood as a friendly nation to India. “Because of the current position of the Indian government, the people of India feel humiliated,” he said.
On Israel’s recent military actions, including those in Gaza, Mr. Vijayan said neither the Indian government nor Prime Minister Narendra Modi had responded strongly. “Instead, the Prime Minister took a pro-Israel stance. Even when Israel launched attacks, we saw the Indian Prime Minister hugging the Israeli Prime Minister. It did not happen by accident. The message we are sending to the world is that India stands with Israel,” he said.
Mr Vijayan argued that despite the widespread killing, the Indian government was unwilling to come out against what he described as US imperialism.
He further pointed to an incident in which an Iranian ship returning from participating in a joint military exercise in India was allegedly attacked by the United States, resulting in the death of several sailors. “They were our guests who came to our country. Even this incident was not condemned,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that after independence, India took a strong anti-imperialist stand and its voice was widely heard on the global stage. But over time, according to him, the attitude gradually changed.
The shift, he said, occurred during the Congress period, particularly during the tenure of Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, when India embraced economic liberalization and began to move closer to the United States.
Mr Vijayan also claimed that India’s attitude towards Israel changed during this period and that the Bharatiya Janata Party continued this policy.
“The Zionists in Israel and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh here are like ideological twins. Because of this, a position of full support for Israel has emerged,” he said.
Published – 06 Mar 2026 23:21 IST
