Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said on Friday that India could have played a big moral role in peace efforts had it been neutral in the US-Israel attack on Iran.
“What did (PM Narendra) Modi do? He deposited himself in the corner of (US President Donald) Trump and (Israel's PM Benjamin) Netanyahu. Had you been neutral, perhaps there would have been weight in your words,” he told a gathering in his home city, news agency ANI reported.
He also slammed another South Asian country, Pakistan, over its alleged support for Israel. "Our neighbouring Pakistan is also like the younger brother of Israel. These two countries will never let their neighbours be at peace. Pakistan bombed Afghanistan and killed 400 people. It doesn't know the basics of Islam," he said.
{{/usCountry}}He also slammed another South Asian country, Pakistan, over its alleged support for Israel. "Our neighbouring Pakistan is also like the younger brother of Israel. These two countries will never let their neighbours be at peace. Pakistan bombed Afghanistan and killed 400 people. It doesn't know the basics of Islam," he said.
{{/usCountry}}He also said Trump-led America and Zionist Netanyahu want to destroy Iran “like Gaza”. “If someone says that this would stop at the destruction of Iran, they should know that Turkiye would be next. The entire Arab nation would be next. May Allah end this war.”
He spoke about PM Modi's Israel visit just in the last week of February.
“Modi's friend Netanyahu invited him there. He went there. Why? He then said that he didn't know that this (war) would happen. You need not be a rocket scientist to know; you went there, knowing fully well that there would indeed be an attack. As soon as you left, an attack was launched,” he commented.
“Now, there is an LPG shortage. We call ourselves ‘Aatamanirbhar Bharat’, ‘Made in India’, but import 60% of the gas. Oil and gas come through the Strait of Hormuz, but the government here says that there is no shortage. I had been saying from the beginning that we were neither with Iran nor Arab countries, we were with everyone. But we considered the Palestinians' cause our own cause,” he further added.
He pointed out that there are millions of Indians in the West Asian region.
“Say it openly that this war is wrong. If you do not have any affinity for Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, speak up at least for those people of India who work in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Doha, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia; 50% of the foreign exchange of this country (India) is earned by them,” he said.
“If their economy weakens, our people will return. Think about them. BJP-RSS, what is the reason that you have no affinity for the people who leave their homes to earn a livelihood and send back to their country? But you want to be close to Trump and Netanyahu,” he further added.
The government has said that alternative supplies are being arranged for LPG and oil. As for peace efforts, PM Modi spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week, and they discussed the need for de-escalation.