The Congress Working Committee (CWC) formulation on the Israel-Hamas conflict has triggered a political controversy, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi accusing the principal Opposition party of supporting a terror organisation.
“Congress at it again! Supporting terror organisations and terrorism while innocent civilians lose their lives to bullets,” Mr. Joshi said in a post on X, while sharing the CWC resolution pertaining to Israel-Hamas conflict.
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The CWC, in its Monday meeting, had called for an immediate ceasefire to the hostilities while expressing support for the rights of the Palestinian people. It neither mentioned Israel nor the attack by Hamas.
“Finally, the CWC expresses its dismay and anguish on the war that has broken out in the Middle East where over a thousand people have been killed in the last two days. The CWC reiterates its long-standing support for the rights of the Palestianian people to land, self-government and to live with dignity and respect,” read the resolution.
Countering Mr. Joshi’s attack, Congress’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi asserted that Mr. Joshi would have made such allegations irrespective of the CWC’s formulation.
He accused the BJP of doing politics over the situation instead of being worried about the safety of Indians caught in Israel and Gaza.
“He has a script in his mind. Whatever we would have said, Pralhad Joshi would have said the same thing,” Mr. Gogoi said, adding there was no divide within the party.
However, opinion was divided in the closed-door meeting. While senior leader from Kerala Ramesh Chennithala wanted the party to highlight its support for the Palestinian cause, a few others privately expressed surprise that the resolution did not “condemn” outright the Hamas, designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries.
“By not expressly condemning Hamas, what message are we sending to the international community?” asked a senior Congress leader.
Asked to explain the absence of Hamas in the CWC resolution, Mr. Gogoi said, “Jairam Ramesh ji had tweeted on that. Our statement is clear”.
On Sunday, Mr. Ramesh, in a post on X, said, “The Indian National Congress condemns the brutal attacks on the people of Israel. The Indian National Congress has 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”.
