Priyanka Gandhi carries ‘Palestine’ bag to Parliament in solidarity with Palestinians; BJP reacts
NEW DELHI, DEC 16 : In a show of support for the people of Palestine, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday carried a bag to Parliament that had “Palestine” emblazoned on it.
The Congress general secretary has been raising her voice against Israel’s actions in Gaza and expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
Gandhi was seen carrying a handbag emblazoned with the word “Palestine” and Palestinian emblems, including a watermelon — seen as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.
Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer, Charge d’affaires of the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi, had last week called on Gandhi to congratulate the Congress leader on her recent election victory from Kerala’s Wayanad.
In June, Gandhi slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what she had said were the Israel government’s “genocidal actions” in Gaza, as she accused him and his government of “barbarism”.
The Congress general secretary’s remarks had come after Netanyahu defended Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza in a speech to the US Congress.
Gandhi had said it was no longer enough to speak up for the civilians, mothers, fathers, doctors, nurses, aid workers, journalists, teachers, writers, poets, senior citizens and the thousands of innocent children who were being wiped out day after day by the “horrific genocide” taking place in Gaza.
“It is the moral responsibility of every right-thinking individual, including all those Israeli citizens who do not believe in hatred and violence, and every government in the world to condemn the Israeli government’s genocidal actions and force them to stop,” she had said in a post on X.
Their actions are unacceptable in a world that professes civility and morality, Gandhi had said.
The image, however, also prompted a sharp response from BJP leader Sambit Patra.
Patra criticised the Gandhi family, stating, “The Gandhi family has always been carrying the bag of appeasement. The appeasement bag is the reason behind their rout in elections.” He also took to X (formerly Twitter), posting a collage comparing Modi and Priyanka Gandhi. The collage featured Modi with the caption “main aapka hun” and Priyanka with “woh unke hai.”
Hitting out at the Wayanad MP over the bag issue, the BJP’s Lok Sabha member Anurag Thakur wondered what message she wanted to send across.
“She did not speak a word on atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh but wants to make a fashion statement with the Palestine bag,” he claimed.
Asked about BJP leaders raising the ‘Palestine’ bag issue, Priyanka Gandhi said, “Tell them that they should do something about the atrocities that are happening on minorities — Hindus and Christians — in Bangladesh. Talk to the Bangladesh government and stop these atrocities.”
-PTI
