Political class must come together on Iran war, ruling party should reach out |
The Indian people can legitimately expect that the political class that governs on their behalf will rise above politicking whenever there is an extraordinary national difficulty. That there is now such a difficulty because of the Iran war is obvious. Its depth and gravity are growing as the war enters its fourth week. Now oil and gas production and refining facilities have been targeted, and that is a dangerous omen. The Arabian Peninsula states have not entered the war as yet, but they are indicating that their patience is running out.
There is no indication when the war will end. Its conclusion depends on many imponderable factors. But that the Iran war will have a substantial negative economic and perhaps social impact is clear even now. The political class cannot, therefore, adopt an ostrich-like approach.
Yet the political class, as a whole, has shown no desire, let alone urgency, to evolve a consensus to chart a way forward to address the national difficulty. The development of a consensus is the responsibility of all sections of the political class. However, the ruling dispensation has to take the lead and engage the Opposition. On its part, the Opposition must respond constructively. This is notwithstanding the coming state elections, which will be contested bitterly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to his Gulf counterparts and, once, to the Iranian president. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has been active in maintaining regular........