People must protest against attack on Iran, India’s foreign policy: N. Ram

N. Ram, Director of The Hindu Group, said on Sunday, March 29, 2026, that people should protest against imperialist attacks on Iran and other countries as well as India’s current foreign policy.

Speaking at a seminar on “Imperialist Aggression and Its Effects” held at HKS Surjeet Bhavan in central Delhi, Mr. Ram said, “We have come to a stage where people must protest this transformation (of India’s foreign policy), shoulder to shoulder with our struggle against imperialist aggression against various states and the people of these countries. On behalf of everyone here, I want to express my solidarity with those facing imperialist aggression in West Asia, Latin America and elsewhere.”

Cuban Ambassador to India Juan Carlos Marsan Aguilera, veteran journalist Seema Chisti and leaders of Left parties attended the event.

Mr. Ram said the BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had adopted a “shameful policy” in the wake of the “treacherous” attack on Iran by the US and Israel.

“Israel and the US treacherously launched an attack on Iran and assassinated the country’s leader, the Supreme Leader… And India, in my opinion, is one of the worst affected countries,” he said. Mr. Ram said “war crimes” and “humanitarian crimes” were committed in Iran and that female students were killed in one of the missile attacks. US President Donald Trump tried to deny it, but the truth came out, he added.

“It’s not just them [India] They failed to condemn the assassination of the Religious Leader… They created this feeling with the Prime Minister’s speech. [Mr. Modi’s] It turns out that there was some kind of collusion involved in a visit to Israel at exactly the wrong time. Or at least this visit gave them cover. [Israel Prime Minister Benjamin] Ram said Netanyahu should have launched this disgusting attack together with the United States.

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He said the “deeply” worrying transformation in India’s foreign policy can be seen in three interconnected developments. “The deepening of the strategic partnership with the United States, the consolidation of the open alliance with Israel, and the weakening of India’s historical commitment to anti-colonial solidarity, especially with regard to Palestine and Iran,” he said.

Mr Ram said the most striking manifestation of India’s foreign policy transformation was its changing attitude towards the Palestinian struggle. “Historically, India can take pride in being one of the most consistent supporters of Palestinian rights in the developing world. So, while the Indian government today officially supports the two-state solution, the political significance of this position has been eroded, sabotaged,” he said.

He also said the government had avoided any serious criticism of Israeli policies and prioritized strategic cooperation with Israel over political support for Palestinian self-determination. “And this reflects the erosion of anti-colonial internationalism within our regime. The language of solidarity with oppressed peoples has been replaced by the language of security partnerships, technological cooperation and geopolitical balancing.”

Commenting on India’s relationship with the US, he said, “Of course, we know what happened with our import of crude oil from Russia and the shameful heading in all major Indian newspapers: ‘US allows India to import Russian oil for 30 days’. So, we have become a subordinate partner or ally of the United States on all these issues.”

Ms. Chisti said current developments were clearly bringing colonialism and imperialism back to basics, in their purest form. “This is actually about just annexation in a greedy, simplistic way in the 19th century, as we read in the history books. So I think the term ‘neo’ can now be safely retired, because we’re dealing with colonialism 101, which is the most basic form of colonialism,” he said.

Mr. Aguilera once again said that the US President threatened Cuba with military action. “My friends, we in Cuba take this scenario very seriously. And we have been preparing for it, not just now, not yesterday, for more than 65 years… Trump says ‘I will take Cuba’. Cuba cannot be taken, believe me. Cuba is not a child’s play. Cuba is very proud of our history, our independence and our heroes.”

He said Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and Palestine are not alone. “There are millions of people in the world, the people of our countries, who are determined to express their solidarity and reject US aggression. Let Cuba live in peace, release Cuba, lift the blockade. Cuba will prevail,” he said.

It was published – 29 March 2026 22:14 IST