New Delhi [India], July 29 (ANI): The Congress party on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking out on the Gaza crisis, calling his silence 'deeply disappointing' and the 'height of moral cowardice.'

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge repeated the views of Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who wrote in an opinion piece in Dainik Jagran on Monday that the Modi-led government had been a 'silent spectator in the Gaza crisis.'

In a post on X, Kharge said, 'This is the height of moral cowardice. The time has come for him to raise a strong voice, in clear and bold words, on behalf of the legacy that India has represented. Today, the Global South is once again awaiting India's leadership on this issue that shakes the collective conscience of all humanity.'

He noted that India was among the first countries to recognise both the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the State of Palestine. 'India has always been a supporter of a two-state solution and a just peace between Israel and Palestine. In 1974, under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, India became the first non-Arab country to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. In 1988, India was among the first countries to officially recognise Palestine. Amidst the ongoing atrocities by Israel on the people of Gaza, Prime Minister Modi's shameful silence is deeply disappointing,' Kharge wrote.

Sonia Gandhi, in her article, said the Gaza conflict had 'exposed one of the most serious vulnerabilities in the global order.' She criticised the lack of action on United Nations General Assembly resolutions calling for a permanent and unconditional ceasefire, saying these have been 'completely ignored.'

Reiterating India being a 'symbol of global justice' and inspiring anti-colonial movements, while raising a voice against imperialism, and specifically being a supporter of the two-state solution, the Congress leader called on the Prime Minister to speak up against the killing of more than 55,000 Palestinians, including 17,000 children. (ANI)