PM Modi could have become 'vishwaguru' by sending message of peace: Akhilesh Yadav amid Iran conflict

Akhilesh Yadav said sending a message of peace and stopping the war, in which many people have lost their lives, was required.

Mumbai: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said India should have taken a stand against the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict which killed several women and children and has started affecting India’s economy.

In a swipe, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi could have become a "vishwaguru" by sending a message of peace and preventing the war.

"There is an opportunity for the prime minister and the BJP to become a vishwaguru.... We should have taken a stand against the war. Women and children have been killed, and in India, the war is impacting our economy," he told reporters.

Yadav arrived in Mumbai to attend Iftaar (the evening meal to break the daily fast during the Islamic month of Ramzan) hosted by the party's Maharashtra unit chief Abu Asim Azmi.

He said sending a message of peace and stopping the war, in which many people have lost their lives, was required.

"Energy security is connected with foreign policy," Yadav said.

Reacting to the reports of people queuing up to buy LPG cylinders amid a “shortage”, the SP leader said, "LPG has become 'lapata' (missing) gas which is affecting the lives of common people".

Yadav accused the BJP of dividing people by spreading lies, terming it an "afvajivi (rumour-mongering) party which can only spread lies, mislead, and indulge in conspiracy".

The West Asia conflict has impacted the supply of crude oil and petroleum products, following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow water passage between Iran and Oman.