‘No issue can be resolved through military force’: PM Modi amid Congress criticism

New Delhi, Mar 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, called for a “swift end” to the conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, saying no issue can be resolved through military confrontation alone. Modi made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

“India and Finland both believe in the rule of law, dialogue and diplomacy. We agree that no issue can be resolved through military conflict alone. Be it Ukraine or West Asia, we will continue to support a swift end to the conflicts and every effort towards peace,” Modi said in his media statement.

During the talks, the two sides also agreed to elevate cooperation between India and Finland in areas such as digitalisation and sustainability to a strategic partnership.

“This partnership, from AI to 6G telecom, from clean energy to quantum computing, will give momentum and energy to our cooperation in several high-tech sectors,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister also said the proposed India–EU free trade agreement would bolster economic ties between India and Finland. “This agreement will further strengthen trade, investment and technology cooperation between India and Finland,” he said.

Finnish President Stubb began a four-day visit to India on Wednesday aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation across a wide range of areas, including trade, investment and critical technology.

Meanwhile, a day after a US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in international waters off Sri Lanka’s coast, the Congress, on Thursday, questioned the government’s silence on the issue.

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi said that while the country needed a steady hand at the wheel, it had a “compromised PM who has surrendered our strategic autonomy”.

Gandhi said the world had entered a volatile phase and that “stormy seas lie ahead”.

“The conflict has reached our backyard, with an Iranian warship sunk in the Indian Ocean. Yet the Prime Minister has said nothing,” Gandhi added.

He claimed that India’s oil supplies are under threat, with more than 40% of our imports transiting the Strait of Hormuz. “The situation is even worse for LPG and LNG,” he said on a microblogging platform.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Modi government’s “reckless abdication” of India’s strategic and national interests was evident.

“An Iranian ship, a guest of India, was returning unarmed from the International Fleet Review 2026 hosted by us and was torpedoed in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). There has been no statement of concern or condolence. PM Modi remains mute,” Kharge said on social media.

PTI