Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders accused the Centre of failing to protect India’s interests after three Indian sailors
June 14, 2026: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the deaths of three Indian seafarers in a US Navy strike on the oil vessel MT Settebello in the Gulf. The vessel was reportedly targeted after American forces alleged it had violated a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Of the 24 Indian crew members on board, 21 were rescued, while marine engineer Patnala Suresh, Shivanand Chaurasia, and Aditya Sharma lost their lives.
Reacting to the incident, Rahul Gandhi accused the government of failing to defend India’s honour and criticised what he described as silence from the Prime Minister. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also questioned the government’s response, alleging that India’s sovereignty and global standing were being undermined. Senior Congress leaders, including Manish Tewari and Pawan Khera, expressed concern over the handling of the issue and called for a stronger diplomatic response from New Delhi.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, however, said he had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and conveyed India’s strong protest over the attack. Jaishankar stated that lethal action against commercial shipping was unjustified and unacceptable. The Ministry of External Affairs also summoned US Charge d’Affaires Jason Meeks and formally lodged a protest regarding the continuing attacks on commercial vessels near Oman, as diplomatic efforts continue to address the matter.