On the eve of an all-party meeting held by the Government on Wednesday, March 25, the growing tensions in West Asia and the root of the conflict between Iran and the United States was discussed. The action is following scathing criticisms of the Opposition parties regarding the position of India on the crisis, and more recent comments by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament.
The objective of the meeting is to inform across the party lines the political leadership about the changing geopolitical situation and to discuss how it would affect the security of India, the economy as well as the energy supply of India. It is also likely to respond to some concerns by the Opposition leaders, who demanded to be clearer and more transparent about the foreign policy espoused by the government during the conflict.
Before the all-party discussion, a high level of review meeting was held, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday. Top defence and strategic officials were present in the meeting, such as Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and the Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi. There were also senior officials of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) such as the chairman Samir Kamat.
The main points that were covered during the review included the developments in the regional security, the readiness of the armed forces, and the security of the Indian nationals in the regions that had been affected. The situation is under strictly bodes as tensions keep on escalating, the government is more concerned about protecting national interests.
The all-party meeting that will follow is likely to be important in achieving political agreement and a unified response towards the current crisis.