New Delhi: The Congress Saturday termed India’s abstention from a United Nations General Assembly resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza an act of “staggering moral cowardice”, and asked if the BJP-led government at the Centre had abandoned late former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s “principled stand” on Palestine.
The Congress top brass, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, launched a coordinated attack on the government, stating that the decision to abstain reflected a “foreign policy in shambles”.
Vadra went a step further, stating that Israel’s attack on Iran Friday was a violation of its sovereignty and a complete contravention of all international norms.
On 12 June, India was among the 19 countries that abstained on the vote, while 149 nations of the 193-member UN General Assembly endorsed the resolution ‘Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations’.
According to a PTI report from New York, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said New Delhi’s vote was in continuation with its previous abstentions and “the belief that there is no other way to resolve conflicts but through dialogue and diplomacy. A joint effort should be directed towards bringing the two sides closer”.
The resolution demanded that Israel, the “occupying power”, immediately end the blockade, open all border crossings and ensure that aid reaches the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip immediately and at scale, in line with its obligations under international law and humanitarian principles.
This is the fourth time since October 2023 that New Delhi abstained from a UNGA resolution on Palestine. Israel’s ongoing military assault on Gaza began after a Hamas attack on Israeli territory on 7 October, 2023.
On X, Kharge asked if India had moved away from its consistent stand advocating for a ceasefire, peace and dialogue in the Middle East and West Asia.
“It is now increasingly evident that our Foreign Policy is in shambles. Perhaps, PM Modi must now take a call on his EAM’s repeated blunders and set some accountability. 149 countries voted for a UNGA resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza. India was only one of the 19 countries that abstained. We virtually stand isolated by this step,” he wrote.
It is now increasingly evident that our Foreign Policy is in shambles. Perhaps, PM Modi must now take a call on his EAM’s repeated blunders and set some accountability.
149 countries voted for a UNGA resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza. India was only one of the 19 countries…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 14, 2025
On X, Venugopal said that while India always stood for peace, justice and human dignity, today it “stands alone as the only country in South Asia, BRICS, and SCO to abstain on a UNGA resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza”. BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation are multilateral bodies with India as a member.
“60,000 killed. Most of them women and children. Thousands starving. International aid blocked. A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding. Has India abandoned its principled stand against war, against genocide, and for justice? MEA must explain: what changed in the last six months that led India from supporting a ceasefire to abstaining? We know this government has little regard for Nehruji’s legacy, but why abandon even Vajpayeeji’s principled stance on Palestine?” Venugopal posted.
India has always stood for peace, justice, and human dignity. But today, India stands alone as the only country in South Asia, BRICS, and SCO to abstain on a UNGA resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
60,000 killed. Most of them women and children. Thousands starving.…
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) June 14, 2025
He was referring to the fact that successive governments at the Centre, including the ones led by Vajpayee as PM, have upheld India’s long-standing support for the Palestinian cause.
Further, on 11 December, 2024, India had voted in favour of a UNGA resolution that demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated the demand for immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Congress media and publicity department chairperson Pawan Khera also criticised India’s abstention on the UNGA vote, saying it was a “craven U-turn from India’s December 2024 vote in favour of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, proving that the Modi government remembers nothing, stands for nothing, and chases only photo-ops even if they involve blood-soaked handshakes”.
“India’s June 12, 2025, UN abstention on the Gaza ceasefire comes as an act of staggering moral cowardice – a shameful betrayal of our anti-colonial legacy and the values of our own freedom struggle…Global leadership cannot be built on silence and sycophancy. If we want our voice to matter on the global stage, we must first show the courage to speak when it matters most,” Khera wrote on X.
India was the first non-Arab state to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in 1974 as “the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people”. India formally recognised Palestinian statehood in 1988.
“As Israel sets West Asia ablaze – bombing Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and now Iran – Modi’s complicity has abandoned India’s conscience,” Khera added, referring to Tel Aviv’s attack on Iran Friday in an apparent bid to cripple its nuclear sites.
India’s June 12, 2025, UN abstention on the Gaza ceasefire comes as an act of staggering moral cowardice – a shameful betrayal of our anti-colonial legacy and the values of our own freedom struggle.
India once stood tall for Palestine – becoming the first non-Arab state to…
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) June 14, 2025
Vadra, who has been highly critical of Israel’s assault on Gaza, said there was no justification for India’s stand at the UNGA. She stated that it was a “tragic reversal” of India’s anti-colonial legacy.
“It is shameful and disappointing that our government has chosen to abstain on the UN motion for the protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations in Gaza. 60,000 people, mostly women and children have been killed already, an entire population is being confined and starved to death, and we are refusing to take a stand.
“This is a tragic reversal of our anti-colonial legacy. In fact, not only are we standing silent as Mr Netanyahu annihilates an entire nation, we are cheering on as his government attacks Iran and assassinates its leadership in flagrant violation of its sovereignty and complete contravention of all international norms,” Vadra posted on X.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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