'Sharad Pawar Will Send Supriya to Gaza to Fight for Hamas': Sarma on NCP Chief's Palestine Support

Slamming Sharad Pawar for supporting Palestine in conflict with Israel, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said he thinks the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief will send his daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule to Gaza to fight for Palestine-based terror group Hamas.

Asked about Pawar’s reported criticism of the government for “standing with Israel” despite India’s long-term support for Palestine, Sarma was quoted as saying by news agency ANI, “I think Sharad Pawar will send Supriya (Sule) to Gaza to fight for the Hamas,” the CM told ANI.

The BJP leader further said that there are some people in India who are giving clean chit to the Hamas as they can’t see anything beyond appeasement.

Pawar, who served as India’s defence minister from 1991 to 1993 under the then prime minister PV Narasimha Rao, recently said he did not believe that the Indian government had sided 100 per cent with Israel amid its war with Hamas.

Earlier in the day, Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Nitin Gadkari also teared into Pawar and termed his remark a “casual view” on issues relating to terror and said that the gravity of the situation necessitates a unified front against terrorism, irrespective of political affiliations or personal opinions.

Pawar, the former Maharashtra chief minister, had said that the Israel-Palestine issue is “serious and sensitive”, and views of Muslim countries like Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates and other nations cannot be ignored.

On October 8, a day after Hamas launched its incursions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed solidarity with Israel and condemned “terrorist” attacks. “Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour,” Modi had said on X (formally Twitter).

On October 10, Modi told his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that the people of India stand firmly with his country, expressing strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms.

The MEA has described the strikes by Hamas on Israeli cities as “terror attacks” but also reaffirmed India’s long-standing position, advocating negotiations towards establishing a “sovereign, independent and viable” state of Palestine living side-by-side at peace with Israel.

‘Congress Didn’t Condemn Hamas in View of Telangana Polls’

Meanwhile, Sarma also alleged that the Congress did not condemn the Hamas and declared its support for Palestine at the insistence of party leader Rahul Gandhi, keeping an eye on the coming assembly elections in Telangana.

“See there was a CWC meeting (recently). The issue of Hamas was discussed there. Everyone said at the meeting that it is necessary to condemn Hamas at this point of time. But Rahul Gandhi said that election in Telangana is coming so we should support Palestine. I am telling you the inside story of the CWC. After that this resolution was passed,” he told reporters in Delhi.

At its last meeting on October 9, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) reaffirmed its support to the Palestinian cause without mentioning the horrific attack carried out by the Hamas on Israel on October 7.

The Assam chief minister, who was in the Congress for over two decades before joining the BJP in 2015, pointed out that there was “not a single word” about the Hamas in the CWC resolution.

“They could have been balanced by saying that we condemn Hamas but at the same time we stand by India’s position of supporting an independent Palestine. But they did not do that,” he said.

Sarma said that strong action must be taken against terrorism but the Congress, due to its appeasement politics, is not saying anything against terrorism despite the fact that India is a victim of terrorism.

“It is a matter of sadness. The Congress, the oldest party in the country, should have openly condemned the Hamas. At the same they can say that we support Palestine. That is a different issue. Since the Congress is eying the vote bank of Owaisi (Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi), it is siding with the Hamas,” he said.

The chief minister said since Rahul Gandhi is a biker, there is a possibility that someday he may go and ride a bike in Gaza or hop on a tractor there.

(with PTI inputs)