Politics
Congress Ties Itself In Knots Over Resolution Supporting Palestine After Being Called Out For Not Condemning Hamas In Absolute Terms
Bhuvan Krishna
Oct 11, 2023, 02:59 PM | Updated 02:59 PM IST
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The Congress clarified on Tuesday (Oct 10) that there are no internal disagreements within the party regarding the CWC resolution on Hamas.
In response to the BJP's criticism of the resolution for not mentioning the terror attack on Israel, the Congress reminded them of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's support for the Palestinian cause.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the Congress for allegedly endorsing Hamas and the Palestinian cause without acknowledging the attack on Israel.
Gaurav Gogoi, INC's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, affirmed that there are no divisions within the party regarding the CWC document.
The document supports resolving the Palestine issue through dialogue.
Gogoi expressed his disappointment at the BJP's politicisation of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution.
He emphasised that the safety of Indians in both Israel and Gaza is a shared concern and that their return home safely should be the priority.
Gogoi also mentioned that Jairam Ramesh, a senior Congress leader, had recently clarified the party's stance on a particular issue.
He referred to the attacks by Hamas and the overall cause of Palestine, highlighting the importance of understanding the party's position.
Accusing the BJP of facing an internal revolt, Gogoi claimed that the party is attempting to divert attention from this internal rift by raising unrelated issues.
He suggested that the BJP's focus should be on resolving their internal conflicts rather than distracting the public with such matters.
He further said, "I would like to tell (BJP leader) Kailash Vijayvargiaji that he should remember Vajpayeeji's speech and analyse what he had said.
He further added "After the success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the BJP is only talking about the Congress and has forgotten its own history as well as Vajpayeeji's speech."
BJP general secretary Vijayvargia had, in a post in Hindi on X, said: "Extremely condemnable. CWC has passed a resolution in support of Palestine regarding the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas."
He further wrote, "The Congress has once again passed a resolution taking a decision against national policy and national interest. How low will the Congress stoop to please the people of a particular religion?"
"Now, the Congress is ready to compromise with terrorism also. We and our party have also been in the opposition but never took any step against the national interest. The Congress's hand is with terrorism," Vijayvargia said, referring to the opposition party's poll symbol.
In its resolution, the Congress expressed its deep concern and sadness regarding the war in the Middle East, which has resulted in the loss of over a thousand lives in the past two days.
It stated, "The CWC reiterates its long-standing support for the rights of the Palestinian people to land, self-government and to live with dignity and respect. The CWC calls for an immediate cease-fire and for negotiations to begin on all outstanding issues, including the imperative issues that have given rise to the present conflict."
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Bhuvan Krishna is Staff Writer at Swarajya.
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