Raut questions PM Modi's 'silence' as West Asia tensions continue

Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday criticised Indiarsquos stance on the ongoing conflict in West Asia and questioned PM Modis silenceRaut claimed that the country has ldquocompletely lost its existencerdquo amid recent developments in the region reported the PTIThe Rajya Sabha MP made the remarks in his weekly column lsquoRokthokrsquo published in the partyrsquos mouthpiece SaamanaSanjay Raut said that India should have taken the lead in attempting to stop the war involving Iran which he described as a major and urgent international issueAccording to him the crisis has exposed what he called the ldquohollownessrdquo of Indiarsquos leadership on the global stage He also pointed out that Narendra Modi has not publicly commented on the situation as per the PTIldquoWhen war has flared up in West Asia India as a country has completely lost its existence among all the developmentsrdquo Raut wroteCriticism of US and IsraelSanjay Raut also criticised the role of the United States and Israel in the conflict accusing them of behaving like ldquoglobal bulliesrdquoHe claimed that major countries such as India which often speak about their strength and courage are now acting like agents of these powerful nationsReferring to the developments in the conflict Raut said that Donald Trump and Israel believed that Iran could easily be crushedHe further alleged that after the killing of Iranrsquos Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei they expected the conflict to end quicklyHowever he said the fighting has continued despite the deaths of several Iranian leaders and military personnel with Iran continuing to retaliate against IsraelOver 52000 Indians travelled safely from Gulf region between March 17 says MEAMeanwhile the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday shared an update on the evolving situation in West Asia and the Gulf region noting that more than 52000 Indians travelled safely from Gulf region to India between March 17 2026 and that a dedicated special control room has been set up to monitor and respond to queries from those affected reported the ANIIn an official press statement the MEA said that the Government of India is continuously monitoring the evolving situation in West Asiaand the Gulf region especially with regard to the welfare of Indian nationals who have been stranded there during transit or on shortduration visitsAll Indian nationals in the region are advised to follow the guidelines of the local authorities as well as the advisories being issued by the Indian Embassy or Consulate in their location Each of our Embassies and Consulates in these countries have issued detailed advisories and set up 24x7 Helplines that are assisting in addressing concerns on account of the ongoing situation the statement saidIt further added The Ministry of External Affairs has also set up a dedicated Special Control Room to monitor and respond to queries from those affected as well as their familiesComplete details of all our Helplines are available at Special_Control_Room_in_MEAThe statement noted that following the partial opening of airspace across the region in the last few days Indian and foreign airlines are operating commercial flights including nonscheduled flights to enable the return of Indian passengers who were in transit or on shortterm visits in these countriesBy now more than 52000 Indians have availed of these flights and travelled safely from the Gulf region to India between March 17 2026 32107 of whom have travelled on Indian carriers More flights are planned in the coming days MEA addedwith PTI and ANI inputs