PM acting under pressure, claims Prithviraj Chavan, questions timing of Israel visit

Mumbai, Feb 25 (PTI) Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday sought to know why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting Israel at a time when tensions are high in the region.

The prime minister is under tremendous pressure as he first approved a "very one-sided Indo-US trade deal" and India also agreed to stop buying cheap oil from Russia under pressure from the US President Donald Trump, the former Maharashtra chief minister claimed.

"Recently...US Ambassador Sergio Gor and a very high-level (US) naval admiral went to our Western (Army) Command headquarters in Chandimandir," Chavan told PTI Videos.

"So who sent them? Until now, no foreign ambassador was allowed to visit such a sensitive place," Chavan said, questioning why such a visit was allowed.

Referring to the PM's ongoing Israel visit, his second in nine years, Chavan pointed out that only two days ago India asked all its nationals to leave Iran by any means amid fears that the United States could launch military strikes against Iran.

"What was the reason to go there in such a hostile situation when no one knows what is happening?" the Congress leader asked.

Parliament and parliamentary committees were not being kept in the loop about these things, he claimed. PTI PS KRK