Two senior Congress leaders get invite for Ayatollah Khamenei's funeral in Iran
Iran has invited Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid for the state funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran has invited Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid for the state funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on the first day of the war in February. Tehran has also invited Narendra Modi for the funeral next week, but the Prime Minister is likely to skip the ceremony and send a high-level delegation. Read Full Story Sources said Kharge was yet to take a decision on attending the ceremony. It is also possible that a delegation led by a senior Congress leader might be sent for the funeral, which will begin in Tehran on July 4.
Ayatollah Khamenei, the longest-serving Supreme Leader of Iran, will be cremated in his home town of Mashhad on July 9. While his burial was initially scheduled to be held in March, it was postponed in view of the war. An interim peace framework was reached between the US and Iran last month, but the situation has remained fragile. PM MODI LIKELY TO SKIP FUNERAL Earlier this week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian personally invited PM Modi for the funeral. However, India is likely to send MoS for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and Bihar Governor Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (retd) instead.
Both belong to the Shia community - the dominant population in Iran. The move, however, has invited sharp criticism from the opposition, who have alleged that the Prime Minister was wary of antagonising the US and Israel. While the government has not issued a formal response, reports have mentioned that PM Modi is scheduled to go on a multi-nation visit during the time. Critics have pointed to the BJP government's decision to send a much higher-level delegation, led by then Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, for the 2024 funeral of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi. Raisi and then foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash.
The government's choice of representatives has led the opposition to question whether it signified a shift in India's policy vis--vis Iran. "Sending a Governor of a state tells you how seriousness of rebuilding relationship with Iran. Seems the tilt towards Israel and UAE is more pronounced. MEA has got its priorities messed up, to be frank," geopolitical expert and author Navroop Singh tweeted. Ends
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