Amidst the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday caused political storm in India as he vehemently criticised the present government’s stand on Palestine, as reported by India Today.
Addressing a large gathering of NCP workers in Mumbai, Pawar (a prominent Bahujan-Backward Maratha leader) said that traditionally India has always stood for the cause of Palestine and former Prime Ministers of India also “stood firmly with Palestine”.
“The entire land is of Palestine and Israel encroached on their land. That place, land and houses, everything was of Palestine and later Israel took over it. Israel is an outsider and the land is originally of Palestine. After encroachment, Israel was formed”, he said.
“Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee all had the same thoughts about the Israel-Palestine issue. It was always the stand of the Indian government. India never stood with anyone else. India always stood with people who originally owned the land and houses there (Palestine),” he said further.
“It is very unfortunate that for the first time, our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) stood with Israel, leaving the real issue over there. He neglected the real issue. We should be clear about our stand. The stand of the NCP should be clear. We stand by the people who originally belonged to that land,” Pawar added.
His statement came days after PM Modi openly expressed solidarity with Israel as opposed to Hamas leadership of Palestine.
Later during a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on October 10, the Prime Minister said that India stood firmly with Israel and expressed strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms.
Bahujan v Brahmanical schism
As on every socio-economic and political issue, one can notice an obvious pattern in the present conflict as well.
In global scenario, if we analyse carefully the support and recognition patterns to Israel and Palestine, we notice that while global north (former colonisers, powerful and developed nations) is rallying behind Israel, the global south or countries who have faced colonial oppression, exploitation, injustices and apartheid are generally rallying behind or sympathising with Palestine covertly or overtly.
The same pattern is more or less visible in India as well. While arrogant and elite Brahmanical and upper classes are openly voicing their support for oppressor Israel, majority of Indians i.e. Bahujans (OBCs, STs, SCs, Sikhs, Muslims, etc) and their informed leaders are either siding and sympathising with the oppressed Palestinians or are silent due to some unknown fear of oppression at the hands of the powerful government led by Brahmanical forces.
The same pattern is visible in the history of Israel and Palestine, the history of Jews and non-Jews, Muslim and Non-Muslims and the history of humanity.
On one side there have been elite people, elements and ideas that stand for exclusion, rigid race and caste based dominance and unjust social control of a few over the many while on the other side there have been people who stand for justice, equity, dignity, fraternity and fairness for all.
It’s also a war between faith and disbelief and a war between those who call themselves God (Aham Bramhasmi), follow the policy of saam-daam and consider themselves to be the masters of the world and those who submit to God and say the world belongs to God and we belong to God (Innal lillahi wa ina ilayhi rajioon).
Further, it’s also a war between those who worship and glorify their oppressive ancestors, kings and queens and those who worship God alone and constantly atone for their sins.
Furthermore, it’s a war between truth and falsehood, between arrogance and humility and between righteousness and wrongness. Last but not the least, it’s a war between those who say I am the greatest and those who say God is the Greatest.
Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: The Prophet sent Mu’adh to Yemen and said, “Be afraid from the curse of the oppressed as there is no screen between his invocation and Allah.”
Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 628
Narrated Umar ibn al-Khattab: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Help the oppressed and guide those who have lost their way.
Sunan Abi Dawud 4817
It was narrated from Tariq bin Shihab that: A man asked the Prophet, when he had put his leg in the stirrup: “Which kind of Jihad is best?'” He said: ” a word of truth spoken before an unjust ruler.”
Sunan an-Nasa’i 4209