Accusing the Modi Government of double standards and going back on India’s long-standing position on Palestine by adopting a pro-Israeli stance, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday demanded that the Government take a ``categorical stand opposing the continuing Israeli aggression which has killed innocent civilians’’.
The CPI(M) Polit Bureau statement came as proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were disrupted for the second day in a row as the Opposition demanded a discussion on ``the unprecedented spurt in violence in Gaza and West Bank area of Palestine causing death of scores of civilians’’.
The issue – which had been scheduled for a short duration discussion in the revised list of business of the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday – was not taken up after the Government informed the Chairman that it was not ``desirable’’ to raise the matter in the House. The Government’s premise for not allowing the matter to be discussed in the House was that India had friendly relations with both countries and any ``discourteous’’ reference in the discussion could impact those ties.
Describing this as ``completely untenable logic’ in the editorial of its latest issue of the party organ People’s Democracy, the CPI(M) said friendly/diplomatic relations had never stopped the Bharatiya Janata Party or Prime Minister Narendra Modi from repeatedly referring to the issue of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. ``India officially has good relations with Sri Lanka, but this has not prevented Parliament from periodically discussing the issue of the plight of the Indian fishermen in the waters separating India and Sri Lanka.’’ The continuing attacks on Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka was discussed in the Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour last Friday.
Of the view that the Government was seeking to favour Israel, the editorial sought to remind the Modi regime that India’s solidarity with the Palestinian cause goes back to the days of the freedom struggle. The Government’s approach, according to the CPI(M), runs contrary to the ``time-tested and traditional approach’’ that India – irrespective of the party in power – has always maintained.
Criticising the External Affairs Ministry’s statement on the latest round of attacks in Gaza for equating the aggressor and the victim, the editorial said the BJP Government appears to want India to play the role of a neutral observer in a bid to ``please a key U.S. ally’’ in the Middle East.
