A political slugfest erupted on Wednesday ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Israel, with the BJP attacking Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her remarks on Gaza and accusing her of “selective outrage”.

The controversy began after Priyanka said she hoped the prime minister would raise the issue of the alleged genocide in Gaza while addressing the Israeli Parliament during his visit.

Modi is scheduled to hold talks with top Israeli leaders and address the Knesset as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral defence and trade ties. This will be his second visit to Israel in nine years.

In a post on X, Priyanka said, "I hope that the Hon Prime Minister @narendramodi ji mentions the genocide of thousands of innocent men, women and children in Gaza while addressing the Knesset on his upcoming trip to Israel and demands justice for them."

She asserted, "India has stood for what is right throughout our history as an independent nation, we must continue to show the light of truth, peace and justice to the world."

The BJP responded sharply, with national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia launching a personal attack on the Congress leader. In a post on X, he wrote, "The Female Ghajini of Indian politics is back!"

Drawing a parallel with the 2008 Bollywood film character known for short-term memory loss, Bhatia accused Priyanka of ignoring the October 7 attacks in Israel while focusing solely on Gaza.

He shared an old photograph of her carrying a bag with ‘Palestine’ written on it and said, "Carrying a 'Palestine' bag to Parliament is easy, but having the moral courage to condemn the Oct 7th massacre of 1,200-plus innocents, women being abducted and raped is clearly too hard for Priyanka Gandhi."

He added, "You might carry the fake Gandhi surname but you clearly lack the conviction and the courage. #SelectiveOutrage," and said it takes significant moral courage to rise above “votebank politics” to condemn such acts.

The Congress, meanwhile, has stepped up its criticism of the government’s stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict. Party general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the government has abandoned the Palestinians and claimed the prime minister was travelling to Israel even as attacks on civilians in Gaza continue “mercilessly”.

The India-Israel relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership during Modi’s first visit to the country in July 2017. His current visit is aimed at further consolidating defence and trade cooperation between the two nations, even as the Israel-Gaza conflict continues to draw sharp political reactions at home.