The Congress on Thursday sharply criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what it called his “unqualified praise” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing it as “shameful and morally atrocious.”
The Opposition party also accused Modi of maintaining “total silence” on the future of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine.
Launching a scathing attack on the prime minister, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh wrote on X: “The Prime Minister has welcomed the new developments regarding Gaza and hailed President Trump. That eagerness to do so is not surprising. But what is shocking, shameful, and morally atrocious is Mr. Modi’s unqualified praise for the Israeli PM Mr. Netanyahu — who has unleashed a genocide in Gaza over the past twenty months.”
“Mr. Modi has also maintained a total silence on the future of an independent, sovereign state of Palestine that was recognised by India way back in Nov 1988, and that is now recognised by over 150 countries. Mr. Modi has also said nothing on the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank,” Ramesh added.
The remarks came after Modi welcomed the agreement on the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s West Asia peace plan, under which Israel and Hamas have decided to pause fighting in Gaza — a development seen as the biggest breakthrough in the devastating two-year-old war.
In a post on X earlier, Modi said, “We welcome the agreement on the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan. This is also a reflection of the strong leadership of PM Netanyahu. We hope the release of hostages and enhanced humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza will bring respite to them and pave the way for lasting peace.”
The Congress reiterated its long-standing criticism of the Modi government’s stance on the Gaza conflict, saying India’s silence on “horrific atrocities” amounted to “moral cowardice.”
Last week, the party alleged that Modi’s refusal to speak out against the violence in Gaza represented a “total betrayal” of India’s traditional foreign policy values.
Last month, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had also expressed “profound distress” over what it called the “genocide of innocent civilians in Gaza,” declaring that “India has always been a beacon of moral conscience and the champion of the post-colonial world, it has now shamefully been reduced to a silent spectator. Our foreign policy has now acquired a moral taint.”