In a strongly worded article published in Dainik Jagran, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has come down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “shameful silence” amid the Gaza crisis. She condemned Israel’s military campaign as nothing short of genocide and called India’s inaction a “cowardly betrayal of our constitutional values.” Gandhi said it was deeply disappointing that a country with India’s proud legacy of supporting oppressed peoples globally was now a “mute spectator” to one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent memory. “India’s failure to act or speak out clearly has cast a dark shadow over our commitment to international justice,” she wrote.

Sonia Gandhi acknowledged that Hamas’ attacks on Israeli civilians in October 2023 were barbaric and must be condemned. However, she asserted that Israel’s reprisals—especially the systematic bombardment of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, hospitals, and aid blockades—had pushed the region into “man-made starvation” and “mass murder.” Gandhi emphasized that over 55,000 Palestinians, including 17,000 children, have been killed since the escalation, accusing the Israeli Defense Forces of weaponizing humanitarian aid and carrying out deliberate starvation. She pointed out that the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and even former Israeli leaders have raised alarms about war crimes, yet global enforcement has remained absent — and India’s silence, she warned, only deepens the moral crisis.

Invoking India’s historic support for Palestine under leaders like Indira Gandhi, Sonia recalled that India was among the first countries to recognize the PLO in 1974 and the State of Palestine in 1988. She hailed nations like South Africa and Brazil for their bold stances at the International Court of Justice and urged Modi to uphold India’s constitutional duties. Quoting the Directive Principles of State Policy, she said it was time for India to once again stand for peace, human rights, and dignity. “The Global South is looking to India for leadership,” she concluded. “We cannot afford to turn our backs now.”