New Delhi: Amid a war of words between the BJP and Congress over the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said while it was impossible to accept any kind of justification for the terror attack unleashed by the Hamas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on the issue was “incomplete”, news agency ANI reported.
Tharoor’s remark came a day after PM Modi expressed solidarity with the people of Israel. Taking to X, PM Modi wrote, “People of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour. India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
Speaking to the news agency, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said, “The entire situation has been provoked by the surprise attack by Hamas during the national holiday in Israel. It was a terror operation. They killed innocent civilians, children, elderly people, and youth attending a music festival. It really was impossible to accept any justification for what Hamas did. I certainly join in the condemnation of the terrorist act. While we understood the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) standing up for Israel showing solidarity at this time of grief and horror, at the same time, we felt that his statement was incomplete.”
Justifying his remark, Tharoor said that it is a “difficult situation” for the Palestinians as well, especially at a time when constructions of new homes for the Jewish settlers in the occupied territories have been going on unabated over the last several years.
“It's a difficult situation for the Palestinians, especially since settlement building, and construction of new homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied territories have been continuing unabated all these years. I say this only because for us and the Congress party and for traditionally for India, the position is very clear. We want both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and dignity behind secure borders and conditions where neither have to fear for their lives at any time. The death toll on both sides is mounting every day... We want to see this matter stop and peace be restored,” Tharoor told ANI.
Tharoor On CWC Resolution
Weighing in on the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution where the grand old party reiterated its support for the Palestinians’ right to “land and self-government”, Tharoor said, “This CWC meeting was focused principally on domestic issues and focused overwhelmingly on the question of a socio-economic and caste census. And that issue dominated everything. If you'll remember, Rahul Gandhi's press conference after the CWC, he didn't even mention this (Israel-Hamas) issue. It somehow came to the resolution in a very brief form. It is by no means a sort of comprehensive view.”
Tharoor on Lok Sabha Elections
The Congress MP further cited several reasons why the people should not vote for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections next year.
“I have to say that there are many reasons not to vote for the BJP. There is communal divide, rising unemployment, rising inflation, which hurts the average Indian family… We're looking at some of the very serious, issues that will drive voters towards us anyway... I want to stress that, for us, there are no magic factors, what we're talking about is offering just good governance to the people of India,” Tharoor told the news agency.
Tharoor On Caste Census
The Congress leader pitched for a caste-based census which will not only focus on which people belongs to which caste but also stress on their earnings and social opportunities.
“If we can do a proper census, which will involve social and economic factors as well, not only find out which caste people belong, but what they're earning and what opportunities they have, we will find that there may well be a significant correlation between marginalization and caste. There may be a significant correlation between opportunities and economic prosperity on the one hand and caste background on the other. In which case, we need affirmative action programmes... Let us know the exact numbers. Otherwise, if you just invent your own numbers and give benefits as you wish, that's not justice,” Tharoor told ANI.