Shocking that India abstained from UN vote on Israel-Hamas conflict: Kerala CM

PTI, Oct 29, 2023, 1:17 PM IST

Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday said it was shocking that India had gone to the extent of abstaining from voting in the UN General Assembly on a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Participating in a dharna of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) here, Vijayan said that by not condemning the massacre of Palestinian people, India is being ”complicit” in this.

”It’s really shocking that the Government of India has gone to the extent of abstaining from the discussion on the UN resolution, supporting Israel…. We have stooped to the level of becoming an ally of this nexus,” he said. ”What we are witnessing today is a brutal massacre of Palestinian people… Innocent people are being killed…. If we do not condemn this massacre we are being complicit in this,” he said.

Vijayan said India’s support to the Palestinian cause emerged as a national consensus and the country abstaining from the vote ”violates this consensus. It’s a complete U-turn from the stand.” The Kerala chief minister also called for an immediate ceasefire.

Top CPI(M) leaders, including members of the Polit Bureau and the Central Committee, on Sunday staged a dharna at the party headquarters here in solidarity with Palestinian people.