Akhilesh questions praise for Modi's record tenure, says what did he deliver

Akhilesh further criticised the central government for leaving a "friendly" nation like Iran "isolated," in an apparent reference to the sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena by a US submarine using a torpedo off the coast of Sri Lanka.

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday sought to downplay Prime Minister Narendra Modi's record of 8,931 days in public life, questioning the achievements of the central government compared to the previous administration. Speaking to PTI Videos in Lucknow on Sunday, Yadav emphasised that the record should not be assessed by the number of days served but by the tangible improvements made in comparison to the previous government.

"Where does our Happiness Index stand now? Where does our per capita income rank globally? Where do we stand on the world stage in terms of corruption? Where do we rank globally regarding unemployment? From an environmental perspective, how are our rivers and our water bodies faring? Are they in a better state than before, or not? How safe are our women and our daughters?" Yadav asked. Accusing the central government of having a failed foreign policy, Yadav questioned whom the administration would turn to for support in the event of war.

"We have handed over our entire market to China. Just imagine if a war breaks out — our aircraft are from France, our communication systems are from Israel, and we have procured various items from Russia, while some are manufactured by China. When the time comes to fight a war, who exactly will you turn to for support? They have completely destroyed our foreign policy," Yadav said.

He further criticised the central government for leaving a "friendly" nation like Iran "isolated," in an apparent reference to the sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena by a US submarine using a torpedo off the coast of Sri Lanka.

"Iran was a friendly country to us. Today, we have left it isolated. Imagine if guests were to arrive at your home, and while visiting as your guests, their lives were taken right before your eyes, while you stood by and merely watched. Russia, which once stood by your side, is no longer with you today. You have spoiled your relations with every country. Hence, your foreign policy has proved to be a failure," Yadav said. A US submarine on March 4 torpedoed and sank the Iranian warship in international waters off Sri Lanka's coast when it was returning after participating in the Milan naval exercise, a multilateral wargame hosted by India.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, confirming the strike, said at a Pentagon media briefing that it was the first sinking of an enemy warship by a torpedo since World War II.

The incident marks a major escalation of the conflict between the US and Iran outside of the Persian Gulf and raises questions relating to maritime security in the Indian Ocean, which is largely considered the backyard of the Indian Navy.

The warship had also featured in the International Fleet Review hosted by the Indian Navy in Visakhapatnam last month.