Rubio’s statement is an order, not a repentance…Congress said – Government’s reaction on the death of sailors is shameful

The Congress on Saturday claimed that the government’s response to the death of three Indian sailors was shameful and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio used commanding language instead of showing any remorse. Party’s media department head Pawan Kheda also said that the American action should have been called illegal and unacceptable and an apology should have been demanded from it.

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, in his conversation with US Secretary of State Rubio on Saturday, raised the issue of the death of three Indian sailors in the US military attack on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Oman. He said that such lethal action on commercial ships is not appropriate.

‘Unconditional apology should be demanded’

Regarding this, Pawan Kheda wrote on X, ‘India should have demanded an unconditional apology for the killing of three young Indian sailors in the American military attack. Instead, US Secretary of State Rubio reportedly decided to issue a warning, declaring that disobedience to US military orders would not be tolerated. The Congress leader said that Rubio’s statement is an order, not a repentance. “There is no acknowledgment of the lives lost, no acceptance of responsibility and no apology,” he said.

What does ‘not appropriate’ mean?

Kheda claimed, New Delhi’s reaction makes this episode even more shameful. Instead of calling the action an attack, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar only said that lethal action against a commercial ship is not justified. He asked what does ‘not appropriate’ mean? He said, ‘The appropriate words for America’s actions are: illegal, reckless and unacceptable. Instead, we got carefully executed rhetoric.

Three out of 24 Indian sailors died

India on Friday summoned Jason Meeks, officer-in-charge of the US Embassy in New Delhi, and told him that the US military’s deadly attacks on commercial ships with Indian crew near the Oman coast were unacceptable. On June 8, American forces attacked the Palau-flagged oil tanker Marivex. 24 Indian sailors aboard this ship were rescued safely. After this, on June 10, America attacked another Palau-flagged tanker, Setebelo, on which three of the 24 Indian sailors aboard were killed.