Sonia Gandhi slams PM Modi's ‘shameful silence' on Gaza crisis; 'height of moral cowardice,' says Kharge

Mint

11 hours ago

Congress parliamentary party leader Sonia Gandhi has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of adopting a "shameful silence" on Israel's military action in the Palestinian territory.
In her article published in Hindi newspaper Dainik Jagran, Gandhi said the Gaza conflict had "exposed one of the most serious vulnerabilities in the Global order and called on the Prime Minister to speak up against the killing of more than 55,000 Palestinians, including 17,000 children, in the territory.
Gandhi recalled how in 1974, under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, India became the first non-Arab country to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. She also said that in the article in 1988, India was among the first countries to officially recognise the State of Palestine.
The former Congress president urged Modi, thus, to speak out "clearly, boldly and forthrightly" on behalf of the legacy that India has long represented.
Sonia also reiterated India being a "symbol of global justice" and inspiring anti-colonial movements, while raising a voice against imperialism, and specifically being a supporter of the two-state solution.
She criticised the lack of action on United Nations General Assembly resolutions calling for a permanent and unconditional ceasefire, saying these have been "completely ignored."
"But as members of the international community — and more so as human beings — it is our responsibility to acknowledge that the Israeli government's response and reprisals against the civilian population of Gaza have not only been egregious, but downright criminal," Sonia Gandhi wrote in her article titled – 'Gaza sankat par mookdarshak Modi sarkaar' ('Modi government a mute spectator amid Gaza tragedy').
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge repeated the views of Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi,accusing the Modi government of being a "silent spectator in the Gaza crisis."
It is our responsibility to acknowledge that the Israeli government's response has been downright criminal.
In a post on X sharing a picture of the newspaper article, Kharge said, "This is the height of moral cowardice. The time has come for him to raise a strong voice, in clear and bold words, on behalf of the legacy that India has represented. Today, the Global South is once again awaiting India's leadership on this issue that shakes the collective conscience of all humanity."