Andalib Akhter / New Delhi
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has called on the Indian government to abandon its silence on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, urging New Delhi to reclaim what she described as its historic commitment to justice, international peace and solidarity with the Global South.
In an opinion article published in The Indian Express, Gandhi argued that India had traditionally stood for postcolonial solidarity, national sovereignty and international peace but was now marked by “continued indifference” to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“India was historically exceptional among the nations of the world for our commitment to postcolonial solidarity, national sovereignty, and international peace. Today we are exceptional in our continued indifference to the flagrant violation of the global rules-based order, to the suffering of our fellow peoples in the Global South, and to the abasement of human dignity that is on open display in Gaza and the West Bank,” Gandhi wrote in The Indian Express.
She further appealed for a change in India’s approach, stating that the country must “find its moral voice again” and should not remain silent in the face of what she described as a humanitarian catastrophe.
“India must find its moral voice again. We cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of the Palestinian people or silent in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” she wrote.
The Congress leader also questioned India’s diplomatic posture, arguing that the country’s silence had distanced it from its long-standing foreign policy principles and from global public opinion on the conflict. She suggested that India should play a constructive role in advocating peace, humanitarian relief and respect for international law.
The article comes amid continuing international concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and is likely to intensify the domestic political debate over India’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict.