Drift in India's foreign policy a matter of serious concern: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday accused the government of departing from India's traditional position on foreign policy matters without consulting Parliament, claiming that it has lowered the country's position globally.

The main opposition party also alleged that the government is weakening national consensus on the country's foreign policy and demanded a comprehensive discussion on the issue in both houses of Parliament.

Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said that the "drift" in India's foreign policy is a matter of serious concern as it has weakened India's voice in the comity of nations and suggested the government recalibrates its policy, does honest introspection and course correction in the country's foreign policy approach.

"There's a matter of serious concern: that is a drift in our foreign policy - a visible decline of India's influence in the world and the very fact that there had been fundamental departures to the detriment of India's standing in the comity of nations at the United Nations," Sharma said at a press conference.

The Congress leader called for a comprehensive debate on India's foreign policy matters in Parliament and said no country in a democracy avoids and evades a discussion on its foreign policy.

"...More damage is done by being non-transparent or opaque and not communicating with their own country first in a correct manner so that we retain the strength of our voice in the global affairs. Today the multilateral world order of governance is under siege," he said.

Noting that there is need for a debate and comprehensive discussion, he said the time has come on India's strategic engagements and India's foreign policy without any further delay.

"Foreign policy of a country and in case of India, historically, is meant to promote India's national interest and also to take our worldview to our strategic partner countries to mobilise in support of what we feel is right and what would serve the larger cause of peace and humanity," Sharma, a former Union minister who handled key ministries including commerce and external affairs, said.

Foreign policy, as it has evolved since Independence, always had the backing of a broad-based national consensus, he said, adding that it has never been captive or hostage to partisan politics.

The Congress leader said the government of the day has the mandate to make decisions, but when it comes to foreign policy, it involves everyone, and that's why consensus is important.

"Unfortunately, that national consensus has been weakened in recent years, if not completely broken down...on many occasions the government has arbitrarily chosen to depart from India's traditional positions without consulting either the Parliament or informing it," he alleged.

Sharma said India commanded an authority and respect in the world not because "we were a major economic or military power, but because we had the moral authority". "We were acknowledged as a voice of humanity. And that's why wherever the crisis came in the world, those affected countries looked up to India. Unfortunately, that's no more the case," he noted, adding that it is up to the government that how it retrieves India's standing and rebuilds national consensus.

"Looking at the situation as it is, it's time for recalibration, honest introspection, and course correction in our foreign policy approach," the former Union minister asserted.

Stressing that equally important and integral to this is the neighbourhood policy, he said India was acknowledged as the pre-eminent power of South Asia.

"Nobody can say that today. It's for us to rethink our strategy, to engage in a manner that despite the challenges and complexities of the neighbourhood, India regains its strength and standing in its own region.

"Our advice to the government will also be that while engaging with the neighbourhood, we have to be cautious. A foreign policy is meant to engage with other sovereign countries. It must not be linked to the furtherance of any domestic, partisan or political agendas," he stressed, cautioning "that would be not only a mistake but a blunder".

"Our purpose is not to just criticise or score points. It is to caution, to share our concerns," he said.

Sharma also said that on June 12 when the UN General Assembly discussed the issue of Israeli attacks on Gaza and a resolution for immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities was brought on the matter and voted upon, 149 countries voted for the resolution, while India, the land of Gandhi, chose to abstain and didn't vote for peace and ceasefire.

"That's painful and unacceptable. This one action diminished India's credibility as the leader of the Global South. All the countries of the Global South voted for peace. How come the leader did not?" he asked.

Sharma claimed that not just the Global South, major European countries, including two permanent UN members, as well as "our traditional partners in BRICS, all four", voted in favour of a ceasefire.

"These countries in Europe also have good relations with Israel and the US, yet they voted for humanity, but we did not," he said, adding that this is a fundamental departure from India's traditional position.

"We would urge the government that they should, as we wish to be, reclaim our moral standing as the voice of the Global South by speaking on this and prevail on our strategic and traditional partners to work for bringing peace in Gaza and the region," the Congress leader said.