The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting resolution on Monday rolled out the party’s “bouncer” in the form of the caste census promise to corner the BJP in the state elections but also handed the saffron party a political “full toss” by openly batting for Palestine.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to milk this issue in the state elections now, citing how the Congress stands with “Hamas terrorists” for the sake of vote-bank politics at home, a senior BJP leader told News18. He said this has given the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi a potent issue to stop a split in the party’s Hindu vote bank, a prospect posed by the caste census pitch by Congress to wean away the OBC electorate.
Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi posted on social media site X: “Congress at it again! Supporting terror organisations and terrorism while innocent civilians lose their lives to bullets. With this stand, the leading party of I.N.D.I alliance has exposed itself to the nation. How will the party protect its nation and citizens when it is openly standing with violence?“
The CWC resolution on Monday was in stark contrast to a rather careful statement issued by the Congress just 24 hours earlier on the Israel-Palestine war. The Congress now stands diametrically opposite to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand of support and solidarity with Israel, which moved away from India’s earlier stand of a “two-state solution”.
Sources said the PM is not expected to let the Congress get away with this from the political stage. Modi has already targeted the Congress on the caste census issue, terming it an attempt to “divide the Hindus”.
In 24 Hours, Congress changed stand
On Sunday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posted on X: “The Indian National Congress condemns the brutal attacks on the people of Israel. The Indian National Congress has always believed that the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a life of self-respect, equality and dignity must be fulfilled only through a process of dialogue and negotiations while ensuring the legitimate national security interests of the Israeli people. Violence of any type never provides a solution and must stop.” This was seen as a balanced comment from the party which has always stood for the rights of Palestine.
But it all changed after the CWC meeting on Monday. “The CWC expresses its dismay and anguish on the war that has broken out in the Middle East where over a thousand people have been killed in the last two days. 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 imperative issues that have given rise to the present conflict,” the resolution said.
Left effect?
Sources say this “change” came from within the CWC, which otherwise did not see any elaborate discussion on the Israel issue. But the Israel statement was tweaked to focus on the Congress’s longstanding position, where it has always supported Palestine. Sources confirm this change in nuance came with many leaders like Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal expressing that the CWC resolution must clearly reflect this fact. The picture of Yasser Arafat warmly greeting former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Delhi in 1980 shows the party’s stand on the issue.
The CWC resolution on Monday was almost similar to CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury’s words a day earlier, which is no coincidence. A top Congress source at the CWC told News18: “Hamas is a terror outfit and there is no way the Congress will support it. But at the same time, like the Centre, the Congress has always supported Palestinian aspirations.”
But now this resolution could have an impact on next month’s state polls. It could be used to polarise, with the BJP accusing the Congress of pandering to Islamic elements.
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