Sonia Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, slammed PM Narendra Modi for what she termed a “shameful silence” on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Referring to Israel’s military actions as “genocide,” she alleged that the Modi regime was abandoning India’s time-honored moral and constitutional values in the glare of the international stage. She described Israel’s actions as “barbaric” and a “genocide”.
India was the first non-Arab nation to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the only authentic representative of the Palestinian people in 1974, under the leadership of Indira Gandhi. She pointed out that India was one of the first nations to formally recognize the State of Palestine in 1988.
She stated that India is once again being looked upon for leadership in the Global South. Thus, the Rajya Sabha member called on Modi to speak up “clearly, boldly and forthrightly” in support of the tradition that India has long stood for.
Nothing, she said, could excuse the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas or its ongoing hostage-taking of Israelis.
Sonia Gandhi’s article comes as the situation deteriorated in Gaza, and thousands of civilians, including women and children, were reportedly killed. She expressed grave disappointment over India’s silence on the mass killings and destruction, calling it a betrayal of the nation’s soul. “Staying silent amid such horror is the worst form of moral cowardice,” she wrote, condemning the Prime Minister for making India a “mute spectator” to what she termed “an affront to humanity.”
Call For Leadership in Consonance with Indian Values
Gandhi argued that India has historically taken courageous and principled positions on international issues, based on Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of non-violence and justice. It is the refusal of the current government to condemn the actions of Israel which she warned signals a very dangerous trend away from these values. She cautioned that if India continues in this silence, it stands to lose its moral voice and global credibility.
Since the most recent Israeli action started about two years ago, she said, more than 55,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed, including 17,000 children. According to her, “the social fabric of Gaza has been completely shattered” and the majority of residential buildings have been destroyed.
Sonia criticizes “greedy real estate tycoons and colonial mindsets”
She stated that the Israeli measures were being carried out to achieve a number of goals, “ranging from a colonial mindset to the selfish interests of a few greedy real estate tycoons,” without giving specifics. US President Donald Trump, whose family owns a real estate company, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have discussed vacating Gaza and constructing a resort-style city there in its place.
Cites Brazil, France and South Africa
Resolutions passed by the UN General Assembly have been totally disregarded. Gandhi claimed that Israel had likewise disregarded the International Court of Justice’s ruling ordering it to stop crimes of genocide.
She contended that it is now up to individual nations to defend the Gaza population. She said that Brazil has now joined South Africa’s “bold step” of bringing Israel before the International Court of Justice.
Sonia Gandhi’s words resonate with an increasing criticism of the government’s stand on Gaza from the opposing side. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had also recently condemned India’s abstention in UN votes on the conflict, charging the Modi government with putting political expediency above humanitarian considerations. Gandhi’s statements seek to push the government to take a declared common stand, condemn the violence, and call for an immediate ceasefire.
India needs to fulfill its role as it has in the past
The government is asked to “promote international peace and security [and] foster respect for international law and treaty obligations,” according to India’s Directive Principles of State Policy, she cited. Regarding long-term measures, she stated that India has advocated for a “just peace” between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples as well as the two-state solution.
India has long represented justice on a worldwide scale. We are the nation that spearheaded the international campaign against South Africa’s apartheid and served as an inspiration for movements around the world against colonialism.
