The Congress on Wednesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his silence on the "horrific atrocities" in Gaza, calling it "moral cowardice" and a "total betrayal" of India’s principles.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote, "To appease his good friend President Trump and in solidarity with his other good friend Bibi Netanyahu, Prime Minister Modi has welcomed President Trump's new 20-point plan for Gaza." He pointed to glaring gaps in the plan.

"Where are the people of Gaza themselves in the system of governance proposed? Where is the roadmap for a full-fledged Palestinian state to come into being," Ramesh asked.

He also highlighted the persistent disregard for Palestinian statehood by the US and Israel, noting that it has been recognised by 157 UN member-countries, with India leading the move in November 1988.

"Where is the accountability for the genocide that has been carried out in Gaza over the past twenty months?" he demanded.

Ramesh accused Modi of turning a blind eye to the human cost.

"The PM has maintained a complete silence on the horrific atrocities that have led to the killing of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza. This is extreme moral cowardice and a total betrayal of all that India has stood for," he wrote.

Congress leader Pawan Khera, retweeting Ramesh’s post, added, "Any plan that undermines the agency of the long-oppressed Palestinian people and fails to ensure accountability for the genocide they have endured since 2023 is deserving of contempt and condemnation. True justice can be restored only through the establishment of the Palestinian state. Everything else is a mere smokescreen to perpetuate the occupation."

The Congress has consistently questioned the Modi government’s silence. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) last week expressed "profound distress" over the ongoing "genocide" of civilians in Gaza, warning that India, once "a beacon of moral conscience and the champion of the post-colonial world, has now shamefully been reduced to a silent spectator. Our foreign policy has now acquired a moral taint."

Modi welcomed US President Donald Trump’s plan on Tuesday, saying it provides a path to "long-term peace, security and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people, as well as the larger West Asian region."

In an X post after Trump announced the plan in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Modi expressed hope that "all concerned will come together behind President Trump's initiative and support this effort to end conflict and secure peace."

Trump and Netanyahu said on Monday that they had agreed on a plan to end the Israel-Hamas war, establishing a temporary governing board in Gaza to be headed by Trump, with former British prime minister Tony Blair also included. Whether Hamas will accept the terms remains unclear.