"This is his level of discourse": RJD leader Manoj Jha slams Assam CM over comment on Pawar's Palestine remark
Oct 19, 2023
New Delhi [India], October 19 : Coming down heavily on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his counter to NCP stalwart Sharad Pawar's remark, criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for coming out in support of Israel, RJD leader Manoj Jha on Thursday accused the BJP of trying to extract political mileage out of the events in West Asia and the evolving "humanitarian crisis".
To Pawar's comment that Prime Ministers in India have historically empathised and spoken up for Palestine with regard to its conflict with Israel, the Assam Chief Minister countered by saying that the NCP patriarch should consider sending his daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule to fight for terrorist group Hamas.
"I think Sharad Pawar will send Supriya (Sule) to Gaza to fight for Hamas," Sarma said.
Hitting back at the Assam CM, the RJD MP said, "The BJP should first consider hyphenating Hamas and Palestine. They are not one and the same. Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian land is known to the whole world. A hospital has been bombed there and we are indulging in petty politics here. This is his (Sarma's) level of political discourse. Gaza is grappling with a major humanitarian crisis and they (BJP) want to exploit the situation domestically for political mileage. They should be ashamed."
Claiming that people across the country were standing in support of Palestine amid Israel's ongoing war on Hamas, the RJD leader added, "Just see how people across the country are coming out and marching in support of Palestine. The whole of India stands with Palestine. There is a history behind our support for the Palestinians. Has anyone made any statement in favour of Hamas? No. However, we also cannot support the Israeli forces bombing civilians in Gaza just for the sake of a balanced narrative."
Significantly, the RJD and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) are partners in the INDIA bloc.
Addressing members of the NCP that he leads, on October 15 in Mumbai, Pawar said Indian Prime Ministers have been known historically to "help Palestine".
"Historically, the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had always spoken up for Palestine. For the first time here, a Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) came out in support of Israel. However, the NCP's stand is clear. We stand by the people who are original inhabitants of that land," Pawar said.
The statement was roundly criticised by the BJP, with Union Minister Piyush Goel calling it an extension of the party's "rotten mindset".
"It is a pity that a person who has been the country's Defence minister as well as a chief minister many times has such a casual view of issues relating to terror," Goel posted on X.
