‘Like an obedient servant’: Rahul Gandhi targets PM Modi over US remarks after killing of Indian sailors

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" over the deaths of three Indian sailors in a US strike, questioning the government's response and calling for the return of their mortal remains.

Rahul Gandhi has questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response after three Indian mariners were killed in a US strike (File photos).

By: Express News Service

2 min readNew DelhiJun 14, 2026 04:45 PM IST First published on: Jun 14, 2026 at 02:56 PM IST

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi Sunday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “silence” over American missile strikes on commercial ships in the Gulf region that killed three Indian seafarers on June 10.

After External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding the deaths of three Indian seafarers, the US State Department issued a readout of the conversation. It stated that commercial vessels must comply with the instructions issued by American forces. Additionally, it warned that any violation of the US blockade on Iranian ports “will not be tolerated”.

In a post on X, Gandhi said that a “free country would never tolerate such language”, but our “compromised PM” is “silent”. “They listen like an obedient servant and comply with the orders,” said Gandhi.

He said that just days after the murder of three Indian sailors in American attacks, there was “no remorse, no apology”. “On the contrary, America has continued issuing orders,” said Gandhi.

अमेरिकी हमलों में तीन भारतीय नाविकों की हत्या के चंद दिन बाद – न अफ़सोस, न माफ़ी। उल्टा, अमेरिका ने आदेश देना जारी रखा है।

उनके शब्द पढ़िए: “अमेरिकी सेना के आदेश तुरंत मानें।” कोई उल्लंघन “बर्दाश्त नहीं किया जाएगा।”

एक आज़ाद देश इस तरह की भाषा कभी नहीं सहेगा। लेकिन हमारे…

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 14, 2026

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“Read their words: ‘Comply immediately with the orders of the US military’. No violation ‘will be tolerated’,” wrote Gandhi.

He added that the “compromised PM” will not defend the country’s honour because “those who insult the country control them”.

In a separate post on X, Gandhi appealed to the government to bring the mortal remains of the sailors killed in the US attack, and said. “In the regime of the compromised PM, being an Indian means utter ruin.”

“Foreign powers kill our citizens. Our government quietly obeys orders like an obedient servant and our citizens are left to rot,” Gandhi added.

Gandhi’s remarks come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump head to the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, where a bilateral meeting and trade discussions are expected.

The ship MT Settebello was attacked Wednesday after US forces claimed it had violated the naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports. Out of the 24 Indian crew members on board, 21 were rescued, while the remaining three were later declared dead.