‘Desperate to mediate Russia-Ukraine’: Congress takes ‘selective brokering’ jab at Jaishankar over ‘dalaal’ remark | India News

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government for its comments that India does not see itself as a “dalal” (broker) like Pakistan, questioning its past diplomatic outreach.Congress leader Pawan Khera said in a post on X, “Was India a ‘broker country’ when Modi was desperate to mediate between Russia and Ukraine? Electoral brokering or electoral memory?”His comments came after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told leaders at an all-party meeting that India does not act as a “broker” nation amid growing reports of Iran’s mediation efforts in the ongoing conflict.“We are not a broker nation,” Jaishankar is reported to have said during a meeting called at the Parliament complex to discuss the West Asia crisis. He also noted that there was nothing new in Pakistan’s mediation efforts, adding that the country had been “used” by the US since 1981, according to PTI sources.The meeting comes as countries such as Pakistan and Turkey step up efforts to act as mediators between Washington and Tehran to ease tensions.The sources added that the government denied opposition allegations that New Delhi was silent on the situation, insisting that “we are commenting and reacting”.When the Iranian embassy was opened, the foreign secretary immediately visited and signed the condolence book, responding to allegations by opposition parties that India had shown moral weakness by not mourning the death of Iran’s supreme leader sooner.The government has informed the parties that its main concern is to ensure the security of the Indian diaspora living in the Gulf region and to meet domestic energy needs.The opposition, however, said the answers given by the government in the meeting were “unsatisfactory” and demanded that both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha hold debates on the situation in West Asia.Slamming the government, Congress’s Tariq Anwar said Pakistan was playing the role of mediator while “we are still silent spectators”.He said the situation should be debated in the Lok Sabha under Rule 193 and in the Rajya Sabha under Rule 176.All Union Ministers on the Cabinet Committee on Security, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman — represented the government.Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju were also present. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri made a presentation before the gathering.Congress’s Tariq Anwar and Mukul Wasnik, Samajwadi Party’s Dharmendra Yadav, Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) Sasmeet Patra, JD-U’s Sanjay Jha, Shiv Sena’s Srikant Shinde, Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh, CPI-M’s John Brittas, Shivuddin (NCP)’s Supriya Sule, Shivuddin (Asaduddin) and Shiv Sena’s John Brittas. AIMIM’s YC was among the opposition leaders who attended the meeting which lasted for nearly two hours.Sources said the government said there was no need to panic as India had enough reserves of more crude oil and gas to come.“We have already placed advance orders. Oil and gas sources have been diversified and now we are buying from 41 countries,” the government said in the meeting.