Congress’ Double Fault

The attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists has inflicted some collateral damage in India. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP were unequivocal in condemning the brutal attacks on Israeli civilians and defence personnel, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution failed to name Hamas as the aggressor and media in-charge Jairam Ramesh said the party supports the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. The CWC statement failed to name Hamas and in doing so seemed to support apologists for the Islamist group who said the failure to address the Palestinian problem has led to the current situation. BJP quickly pounced on the omissions in the Congress statement, saying this demonstrated the party’s inability to clearly address the problem of terrorism due to its indulgence of minority vote-bank politics. The attack was sharp and seemed to have caused a rethink, with reports suggesting that some senior Congress leaders had been uncomfortable with the CWC resolution. Almost a week after the October 7 attacks, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera condemned the Hamas attacks on innocent civilians. It was a classic instance of falling between two stools besides revealing the lack of application or a proper understanding of historical facts, an altogether strange situation for a party that has prided itself on its understanding of international affairs. This is not the first time that Congress has looked to mimic the Left which has no compunctions about declaring its sympathies for Hamas or its abhorrence for Israel. The CPM statement a day after the Hamas attacks demanded that the “attacks and counter-attacks” must cease even though the Israeli government was still struggling to respond to the terrorist influx in its own territory. It then slammed the “most right-wing” Netanyahu government and demanded an end to the “occupation” of Palestinian lands. In other words, there was nothing much to choose between the CPM statement and the anti-Israel stand of various Islamist groups and Congress blindly followed suit. Congress is worried that BJP’s criticism will make it appear as weak on terror, a charge that has cost it in the past. While Congress may look to play to populist sentiments within the Muslim community, it stands to lose among other sections who expect a party that considers itself a contender for office to firmly condemn terrorism. Congress leaders sought to dig up an old 1977 video of BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee calling on Israel to return land to Arabs, but it did not cut much ice. For one, the same video has Vajpayee acknowledging Israel’s sovereignty and the leader vigorously pursued relations with the Jewish nation when he became prime minister with defence cooperation scaling new heights. And much has happened since then, with Israel pulling out of Lebanon and Gaza.

BJP backs Naidu

A meeting between Nara Lokesh, son of jailed Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N Chandrababu Naidu, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah made it apparent that BJP sees some merit in Naidu’s claim that the case against him is politically motivated and will not hold. BJP, TDP and actor Pawan Kalyan’s JanaSena are moving towards an alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and the action against Naidu for an alleged scam in a skilling programme may not alter the situation. There has been talk of BJP and TDP forming an alliance in Telangana but that is no longer on the cards with the state election round the corner. There has been doubt in BJP ranks about TDP’s utility in Telangana where the regional party is seen to have opposed the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The emphatic statements by former Siemens officials (the company partnered the training and skilling programme in question) denying any bribery has helped BJP leaders make up their minds that Naidu has been targeted by the YSRCP government to settle scores. At the same time, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has refused to become part of the opposition I.N.D.I.A. alliance and his party has often voted in favour of the Modi government’s Bills on important occasions. But as the national election approaches, BJP’s choices will become clearer.

Opportunist China

It does seem that China has decided its influence in the Middle East will increase if it aligns itself with the Palestinian cause. Commentators and observers feel that China sees an opportunity to undermine the influence of the US in the region and present itself as a negotiator, buoyed by the recent success in bringing Saudi Arabia and Iran together. Once again, China’s response to the terrorist attacks in Israel is in sharp contrast to India which lost no time in expressing solidarity with the victims. In looking for geopolitical advantage, China has again come across as an opportunistic power seeking to play the sentiments on the Arab street. As more knowledgeable voices point out, China is unable to bring any significant weight to major debates on international issues and therefore ends up playing second fiddle. China does have an important economic relationship with Israel which is not pleased with Beijing’s fickle ways. And while it may hope to make some gains, China does not inspire confidence that it can be expected to do the right thing in times of global crises.

Reforms In IT Cell

There is a sense of disquiet in BJP over some of the posts of its social-media arm with regard to a caricature, a reference to India’s fight against terrorism in the context of the Hamas attacks in Israel, and a meme drawing on IPL. The verdict of the party bosses was that the representations came across as crude, bordered on the offensive, and were quite avoidable. It seems that the working of the IT cell has come under greater scrutiny and has led to some thinking about the need to monitor what is being put out on social media. A need for more serious thought and decorum has been stressed.

A Gujarat Gathering

A gathering of rightwing writers and thinkers will deliberate on the West, the Global South and India’s Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam approach outlined during its presidency of G20 at Manilaxmi Tirth in Gujarat over the weekend. The host is Jyot, an organisation founded in 2009, which outlines its objectives as bringing modern science and ancient traditions on the same platform. The ‘knowledge partners’ are Vivekananda International Foundation, which was set up by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and India Foundation run by Shaurya Doval and Ram Madhav. The meeting will be attended by several distinguished panellists and has the blessings of Jainarcharya Yugbhushansuri Maharaj, a descendant of Tirthankara Mahavir Swami. The Jain seer is highly respected and has written against the interference of temporal authorities in religious domains. He has also backed a research institute, ‘Gitarth Ganga’, based in Ahmedabad with a presence in some other cities in Gujarat. The discussion is intended to generate more debate on how to further India’s policy approaches in the context of its cultural values and traditions and ensure their relevance in a world where the West has largely framed the discourse on international relations.

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