Priyanka Gandhi Takes "Palestine" Bag To Parliament, BJP MP Reacts

Newly-elected Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday carried a bag to Parliament that had "Palestine" written on it, drawing a sharp reaction from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Ms Gandhi Vadra, who is attending her maiden Parliament session after her recent election victory from Kerala's Wayanad, has been raising her voice against the Israeli military's actions in Gaza since the war broke out in October last year.

She had earlier also slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what she said were the Israel government's "genocidal actions" in Gaza.

A watermelon, which is seen as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, was also featured on her bag.

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Last week, she also met Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer, Charge d'affaires of the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi.

Her gesture, however, drew a sharp response from BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana.

"People do such things for news. When they have been rejected by the people, they resort to such actions," he told the news agency IANS.

Priyanka Gandhi Slams Benjamin Netanyahu

In July, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed Benjamin Netanyahu and called on the global community to condemn Israel's "genocidal actions and force them to stop".

She said it was the "moral responsibility" of every right-thinking individual, including Israeli citizens who do not believe in hatred and violence, and every government in the world to condemn the Israeli government".

"It is no longer enough to speak up for civilians, mothers, fathers, doctors, nurses, aid workers, journalists, teachers, writers, poets, senior citizens, and the thousands of innocent children who are being wiped out, day-after-day, by the horrific genocide taking place in Gaza," she said on X.

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"Their actions are unacceptable in a world that professes civility and morality. Instead, we are subjected to the image of the Israeli Prime Minister being given a standing ovation in the US Congress," she added.

"He (Mr Netanyahu) calls it "a clash between barbarism and civilization." He is absolutely correct, except that it is him and his government that are barbaric and their barbarism is being given the unstinted support of most of the western world. It is truly a shame to watch," Ms Gandhi Vadra said.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They also took more than 250 hostages back to Gaza.

Israel then launched an air and land offensive that has so far killed about 45,000 people, mostly civilians, and has displaced nearly the entire population and left most parts of the enclave in ruins.