Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge Invited to Iran Supreme Leader's State Funeral, Party Yet to Decide on Attendance

The Congress has received an official invitation from Iran to attend the state funeral of the country's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid among those invited to represent the party at the ceremony in Tehran.

According to sources, the Congress leadership has not yet taken a final decision on whether Kharge will personally attend the funeral. The party is also considering sending a senior delegation if the Congress president is unable to travel to Iran.

The state funeral is scheduled to begin in Tehran on July 4, while the final rites are expected to take place in Mashhad on July 9. The burial ceremony had originally been planned earlier but was postponed due to the conflict that followed the US-Israeli military operation in which Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed.

The invitation to Congress comes as Iran has also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the ceremony. However, government sources indicate that the Prime Minister is unlikely to travel to Tehran because of his scheduled overseas engagements. Instead, India is expected to be represented by a high-level official delegation.

The invitation has also sparked political debate, with opposition leaders questioning the government's reported decision not to send the Prime Minister. Critics have alleged that New Delhi is attempting to balance its diplomatic ties with the United States and Israel while maintaining relations with Iran.

The Central government has not issued any official statement regarding the Prime Minister's participation. As the funeral approaches, attention is now focused on whether the Congress leadership will accept Iran's invitation and who will ultimately represent the party at the high-profile international event.