Ex-Pakistan minister lauds Nehru's granddaughter Priyanka for Palestine bag, says 'stood tall amidst pigmies'

In a gesture of support for the Palestinian people, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was seen on Monday carrying a bag to Parliament with "Palestine" written on it.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Dec 17, 2024, 9:41 AM IST | Last Updated Dec 17, 2024, 9:41 AM IST

Former Pakistan minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain commended Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi for carrying a bag with the word "Palestine" on it to Parliament, describing her as a "granddaughter of a towering freedom fighter like Jawaharlal Nehru," who "stood tall amidst pigmies." In his post on X, Fawad also criticized Pakistan's Members of Parliament (MPs) for lacking such courage.

"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.#ThankYou," the former minister in the Imran Khan government said in his post on X.

In a gesture of support for the Palestinian people, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was seen on Monday carrying a bag to Parliament with "Palestine" written on it. The Congress general secretary has been vocal in her opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza and has consistently expressed solidarity with Palestinians.

The handbag, which featured the word "Palestine" along with Palestinian emblems, including a watermelon—a symbol of Palestinian solidarity—caught attention.

In response to Gandhi's display, BJP Lok Sabha member Anurag Thakur criticized the Wayanad MP, questioning what message she intended to convey with the bag.

"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."

Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer, the Charge d'affaires of the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi, met with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi last week to congratulate her on her recent victory in the Lok Sabha bypoll from Kerala's Wayanad.

In June, Gandhi had strongly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what she described as the Israeli government's "genocidal actions" in Gaza, accusing him and his administration of "barbarism." Her remarks followed Netanyahu's defense of Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza during a speech to the US Congress.

Gandhi emphasized that it was no longer enough to simply speak up for the civilians—mothers, fathers, doctors, nurses, aid workers, journalists, teachers, writers, poets, senior citizens, and thousands of innocent children—who were being killed day after day in what she called the "horrific genocide" occurring 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.

Gandhi had stated that their actions are intolerable in a world that claims to uphold civility and morality.

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