'Staggering Moral Cowardice': Congress Hits At Modi Govt As India Abstains Vote On Gaza Ceasefire

Congress on Saturday slammed the Narendra Modi government after India abstained from voting on the Gaza resolution at the United Nations General Assembly as an act of "staggering moral cowardice." 

Taking to social media platform X, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, "India’s June 12, 2025, UN abstention on the Gaza ceasefire comes as an act of staggering moral cowardice - a shameful betrayal of our anti-colonial legacy and the values of our own freedom struggle." 

India was among the 19 nations that abstained from the vote on a draft resolution that demanded an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in Gaza.

'India Once Stood For Palestine' 

Hitting further the at Modi government, Khera said India once stood for Palestine and became the first non-Arab state to recognise the  Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1974. He also mentioned PLO chief Yasser Arafat's visit to India in 1983 to attend the 7th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit held in New Delhi. "We stood for justice not as a strategy, but as a principle. But today, that proud legacy lies in ruins," he said. 

Notably, India had voted in favour of the ceasefire during a similar vote in December last year. "The abstention is also a craven U-turn from India’s December 2024 vote in favour of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, proving that the Modi government remembers nothing, stands for nothing, and chases only photo-ops even if they involve blood-soaked handshakes," Khera said. 

He also dubbed the Centre's foreign policy as "schizophrenic" and said the Modi government is "unfit to provide moral direction and leadership to India or the world" when it is "too timid to vote for a ceasefire while Gaza’s children are incinerated in their sleep." 

"As Israel sets West Asia ablaze - bombing Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and now Iran - Modi’s complicity has abandoned India’s conscience," he added. 

India Abstains From Voting 

 In a significant diplomatic move, India abstained from voting on a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in Gaza, as the humanitarian crisis in the region deepens.

The resolution, introduced by Spain and backed by 149 nations, was overwhelmingly adopted by the 193-member General Assembly. While 12 countries opposed the resolution, 19—including India—chose to abstain. Other abstaining nations included Albania, Cameroon, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Malawi, Panama, South Sudan, and Togo.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, explained New Delhi’s position during the session. Emphasising the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza, he expressed deep concern over the civilian toll and reiterated India's condemnation of all civilian casualties.

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