India’s Modi slammed for his ‘complete solidarity’ with Israel over Palestinians and playing religious card

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has ‘propagated the Israeli line’ in the ongoing war in Gaza, a critic says

Indian officials say the country has to take a strong stance against the October 7 Hamas attack as it was also a victim of terrorism previously

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet in New Delhi on January 15, 2018. Photo: AP

Published: 7:30pm, 21 Nov 2023

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong support for Israel and his country’s abstention from a UN resolution for a Gaza ceasefire has sparked a backlash against the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over what critics argued is its anti-Muslim stance.

The country’s solidarity with Palestinians has weakened over the years – a slide that has accelerated under the BJP’s nine-year rule because it is seen to be banking on support from the majority-Hindu population and having resorted to “religious polarisation” to win votes, the critics added.

The BJP had “essentially propagated the Israeli line on the entire conflict”, said Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, a writer, publisher and documentary filmmaker.

This position “dovetails very well with” the BJP’s “Islamophobic domestic constituency in the run-up to the next general elections”, according to Thakurta.

India is due to hold national elections early next year, when Modi’s government will be seeking a historic third mandate.

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