Muhammad Ilyas Thumbe, National General Secretary of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), has strongly condemned the advisory issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The advisory instructed state governments to monitor and take action against voices protesting atrocities committed by the United States and Israel against Iran.
Thumbe described the advisory as an attempt to intimidate and suppress dissent in a democracy. He said, “In a democratic nation, citizens have the right to express solidarity with the victims and question unjust wars without fear of surveillance or retaliation. Directives like these from the central government create an atmosphere of fear and undermine the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.”
He further stated that the people of India are not obliged to follow the ideological leanings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to him, the country’s foreign policy cannot be confined to partisan preferences or strategic alignments; it must reflect India’s independent civilizational values, commitment to peace, and respect for national sovereignty.
Thumbe also criticized the Modi government’s silence over the targeted killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “While governments and world leaders have expressed their positions on this serious incident, India’s refusal to provide a clear and principled response amounts to a dereliction of moral responsibility,” he said.
He noted that several countries have openly condemned the targeted killing and the subsequent rise in tensions. Spain, for instance, refused to allow its bases to be used for further U.S. military actions in the region.
