Centre’s subservience shameful, says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Kozhikode: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticized the Centre for failing to condemn the US-Israel attack on Iran. At Muthalakkulam ground on Monday night, he said the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his govt had insulted the country and its people.Addressing an anti-war rally organized by LDF against what he called US imperialist aggression on Iran, Vijayan said the Centre's failure to condemn the sinking of Iranian naval ship IRIS Dena, which had visited India to participate in a naval exercise, showed shameful subservience."The ship was attacked while it was returning after participating in a naval exercise hosted by our country. Several crew members were killed. Yet the Centre did not condemn the attack. They came here as our guests. Should not the govt, at least, say that the attack on them was wrong? Such silence reflects nothing but shameful submission," he said.The CM added that India, which had a long legacy of standing up against imperialism, now seemed to be aligning with imperialist forces. He said attempts were being made to push the country into surrendering before American imperialism. Seeking a strong response from all sections of society, Vijayan said India's voice should rise against this stance and influence the Centre to correct its position.Referring to developments before the attack on Iran, Vijayan said the world saw Modi embracing Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu while an atmosphere of imminent conflict was building. "What message did that send to the world? It conveyed that India stood with Israel. Even when Iran was attacked and large-scale killings took place, India did not utter a word, not even after the killing of Iran's supreme leader," he said, adding that the Centre's silence reflected its subservience to the US.Vijayan said Iran had supported India during several difficult phases and the relation between the two countries dated back thousands of years. Condemning US actions, he said Washington practised jungle justice driven by arrogance from its military and financial power.Vijayan said global public opinion largely opposed the attacks carried out by the US and Israel. He added that even many traditional Western allies, including European countries and NATO members, had not openly supported the move. The CM also claimed that the real motive behind the attack was the US' vested interest in controlling a major share of the world's oil resources.