‘Like Grandfather Nehru…’: Ex-Pak Minister Hails Priyanka Gandhi’s ‘Palestine’ Bag In Parliament – News18

Last Updated:December 17, 2024, 09:34 IST

Though the former Pakistan minister praised Priyanka Gandhi for her move to express solidarity with Palestinians, BJP leaders criticised her on Monday and called her not for not speaking on Bangladesh

Former Pakistan Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has heaped praises on Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi for voicing concerns against Israel’s actions in Gaza and carrying a bag to Parliament that had “Palestine” emblazoned on it as a mark of expressing solidarity.

Hussain also slammed lawmakers in Pakistan for not standing up against Israel and “showing any courage”.

In a post on X, he wrote, “What else could we expect from a granddaughter of a towering freedom fighter like Jawaharlal Nehru? Priyanka Gandhi has stood tall amidst pigmies, such shame that to date, no Pakistani member of Parliament has demonstrated such courage.”

On Monday, Gandhi accessorised her saree with a handbag emblazoned with the word “Palestine” and Palestinian emblems, including a watermelon, as she walked into the Parliament.

BJP MP Anurag Thakur criticised the Wayanad MP over the bag controversy, questioning the message she intended to convey. He pointed out that while she remained silent on the atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh, she chose to make a fashion statement with a Palestine-themed bag.

In response to BJP leaders raising the issue of the ‘Palestine’ bag, Priyanka Gandhi said, “They should focus on addressing the atrocities against minorities—Hindus and Christians—in Bangladesh. They should engage with the Bangladeshi government to stop these violations.”

Last week, Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer, the Charge d’affaires of the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi, met with Gandhi to congratulate her on her recent bypoll victory in Wayanad, Kerala.

In June, Gandhi had condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what she described as “genocidal actions” by the Israeli government in Gaza, accusing them of “barbarism.” Her remarks followed Netanyahu’s defense of Israel’s actions during a speech to the US Congress.

Gandhi had expressed that it was no longer enough to merely speak out for the civilians, including mothers, fathers, doctors, nurses, journalists, and children, who were being killed daily in Gaza. She called it the “horrific genocide” and said it was the moral duty of every right-thinking individual and government to condemn Israel’s actions and demand they stop. “Their actions are unacceptable in a world that claims civility and morality,” she had written in a post on X.