Avoid grandstanding on the war in Gaza

Propagandists may seek to create a neat black and white universe of villains and heroes but India's approach to the Israel-Hamas war stems from a complicated history

- Rajdeep Sardesai

A week is a long time in war and politics. The horrific October 7 terror attack on Israeli civilians by the Palestinian militant outfit, Hamas has sparked off global outrage but also impacted domestic politics. A Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution mysteriously omitted mentioning Hamas terror while focusing on Palestinian rights. With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the grand old party of being terror apologists, the Congress hastily clarified that it unequivocally condemned the loss of all civilian lives. Now, a week later, the blast at a Gaza hospital site in which hundreds have died, has led Opposition leaders to ask questions of the BJP: Will India's ruling party speak up for the long-suffering Palestinian people?

Historically, terror acts have seen Indian political parties speak mostly in one voice. The ascent of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and his politics of muscular nationalism changed the ground rules. When, during the 2019 general elections campaign, Modi referred to the Balakot airstrikes and boasted, "ghar mein ghuskar maara" (we entered their home and attacked them), he positioned the war against Pakistan-based terror at the centre of his re-election pitch. More specifically, he contrasted the retaliatory strikes with the Manmohan Singh government's more cautious approach in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.