New Delhi [India], March 9 : Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday reacted to the announcement of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's statement on the West Asia crisis, stating she is "keen to hear" the minister's position on this matter.
"I am keen to hear what he will say." Gandhi told reporters.
Her remarks come amidst the resumption of the second phase of the Budget Session, which will conclude on April 2. According to sources, the Opposition is set to raise the issue of the escalating Iran-US/Israel conflict and US waivers for crude oil purchases in both Houses of Parliament today.
Earlier, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh called for a full-fledged discussion in Parliament on the evolving situation in West Asia.
In a post on X, Jairam said that the problems with Ministerial statements are that they convey the information which is already known, with MPs not allowed to seek clarifications or ask questions.
"It has been let known that the External Affairs Minister will make a statement in both Houses of Parliament on the situation in West Asia. The problems with such Ministerial statements are that (i) they convey little of value over and above that is already known; and more importantly (ii) MPs are not given an opportunity to seek clarifications or ask questions," he said.
"What the Opposition wants is a full-fledged debate. On April 8 2003 there was a spirited debate in the Lok Sabha on the US invasion of Iraq and a resolution was even passed condeming it. This was when Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who knew his Rajdharma, was the PM," the Congress MP posted.
Meanwhile, EAM Jaishankar's statement comes amid rising global concern over the escalating tensions in West Asia and their geopolitical implications.
The conflict intensified after 86-year-old Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28. The strikes reportedly targeted key installations and also killed several senior leaders of the Islamic Republic.
Following the attacks, Tehran launched retaliatory strikes targeting American military bases in several Arab countries as well as Israeli assets across the region. Israel, backed by the United States, has continued strikes on Iranian targets, while also expanding military operations into Lebanon against Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor