Israel-Palestine War Triggers Political Battle in India as BJP Cites Safety Under Modi Govt, Cong-CPM Differ – News18

The Israel-Palestine War has triggered a ‘political war’ in India, with the BJP citing how the “country is safe” under the Narendra Modi government compared to the UPA days when terror attacks and bomb blasts were common. The Congress, in turn, listed out over 30 “terror attacks” since 2014.

The war in the Middle East and the stand of Indian political parties has highlighted the trouble related to political alignments and ideologies of the constituents, who are part of the INDIA alliance.

Hours after the Modi government extended its support and solidarity for Israel post the attack and infiltration by Hamas ‘terrorist’ groups from the Gaza strip, Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of CPM, talked of ‘Israeli aggression’ of the ‘most Right-wing government’. Congress came up with a careful statement, condemning the violence against Israel but supporting the Palestinian cause.

The BJP has been quick to advise the INDIA alliance to take a cue from the Opposition in Israel which has fully backed the Israel PM’s counter-attack on Palestine. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the Opposition in Israel put the nation first “but our opposition says ‘Modi Virodh me Nation Virodh’ is okay… questions surgical strikes, Balakot and even gives clean chit to Pakistan on terror attacks.”

BJP leaders also took on the Congress tweet on over 30 terror attacks since 2014, citing strong steps like ‘surgical strikes’ undertaken in response to any misadventures from Pakistan.

The INDIA Dilemma

The current controversy comes after Congress had to recently politically handle Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comment on ‘Sanatan Dharma’.

“Sitaram Yechury has expressed his opinion which is okay with all of us. Every constituent of INDIA bloc has its own ideologies and political alignment. We cannot control them,” said a senior Congress leader on Yechury’s statement on the Israel-Palestine war which may soon be on BJP’s target for being out of line with the country’s stand.

“Strongly condemn these attacks and counter-attacks in the Gaza Strip of Palestine. UN must ensure the rights of the Palestinian people for a Home Land, withdrawal of all Israeli illegal occupation of Palestine lands & implementation of UNSC resolution of a two-nation solution,” said Yechury. He expressed his alignment towards the Palestinian cause, mentioning the death figures on the Palestinian side in his statement, but he remained silent on the long list of casualties in Israel due to the attack.

The statement by Congress followed later and was a ‘careful’ one, said political observers. Congress in its statement condemned “the brutal attacks on the people of Israel”. But it also maintained that the party had always believed that “the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a life of self-respect, equality and dignity must be fulfilled only through a process of dialogue and negotiations while ensuring the legitimate national security interests of the Israeli people. Violence of any type never provides a solution and must stop”. No other constituents of INDIA have reacted.

The Politburo of CPM later issued a statement, saying it condemned the attacks and counter-attacks between Hamas and the Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip of Palestine.

“Already, many human lives have been lost and the situation is poised to escalate causing more deaths, and miseries. This confrontation must end. The most right-wing Netanyahu government in Israel has been indiscriminately occupying Palestine lands and establishing Jewish settlements in the West Bank. So far this year, prior to this conflict, 248 Palestinian lives have been lost including 40 children,” it said.

The Politburo also said that it called upon the UN and the international community including the government of India “to ensure the immediate cessation of this conflict and act for the implementation of the UN”.