India stands ‘isolated’ over abstention on Gaza ceasefire in the UNGA, says Congress

Congress leader Anand Sharma said, “India should work with partners to bring an immediate halt to hostilities, as any escalation can destabilise the entire region.” File | Photo Credit: PTI

Expressing concern over the flare-up in West Asia after the escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict, the Congress on Tuesday (June 17, 2025) urged the Union Government to work with partner countries to ensure an immediate ceasefire in the region.

“India should work with partners to bring an immediate halt to hostilities as any escalation can destabilise the entire region,” Congress Working Committee member Anand Sharma, who heads the party’s foreign affairs department, told The Hindu.

Mr. Sharma, who was part of the Narendra Modi government’s diplomatic outreach in Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam terror attack, mounted a scathing criticism of India’s abstention from a UN vote on a motion for the protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations in Gaza. “It is a humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded in Gaza, where people are facing collective retribution for their identity. It is indefensible that the land of Mahatma Gandhi doesn’t stand for peace,” Mr. Sharma said.

In fact, the abstention at the UN was cited as yet another example of “weak diplomacy” by India. Congress general secretary (organisation) and Lok Sabha member from Kerala’s Alappuzha seat, K.C. Venugopal, said India stood isolated among multilateral fora such as BRICS — a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — and SCO or Shanghai Cooperation Organisation because of its stance.

“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,” he said on X last Saturday (June 14, 2025).

Terming India’s stance “shameful and disappointing” in an X post the same day, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Lok Sabha member from Kerala’s Wayanad, said, “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. (Benjamin) 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,” Ms. Vadra added.

Opinion: Israel’s brutality in Gaza, India’s pin-drop silence

Pawan Khera, who heads the party’s media and publicity wing, countered criticism from some quarters that Kerala’s politics may determine the position of some of their MPs from the State. “Congress’s position on Israel-Gaza and Iran-Israel stems from our own legacy of anti-colonial solidarity, non-alignment, and a firm commitment to human rights and international law,” Mr. Khera said.

Stressing on the role India can play in the Iran-Israel conflict, he said, “Instead of seeing this moment as a strategic conundrum, India could see it as an opportunity — to act as a moral bridge between the warring sides, both of which happen to be our allies. That is what our legacy allows us to do, and what global leadership demands.”

Published - June 17, 2025 11:05 pm IST