As Israel targets Hezbollah, Lebanon envoy to India Cites Mahatma Gandhi
'You can kill a revolutionary, not the revolution'
New Delhi, Oct 9: Following Israel's announcement of the killing of Hassan Nasrallah's successors, Lebanon's Ambassador to India Rabie Narsh cited Mahatma Gandhi's words and said Hezbollah is a legitimate political party supported by the people and cannot be eliminated.
"I am reminded of Mahatma Gandhi's words: You can kill a revolutionary, but you cannot kill the revolution. You can eliminate the leaders of Hezbollah, but you cannot eliminate Hezbollah, because it is the people on the ground. It is not an imaginary structure that came to Lebanon by parachute," the ambassador said in an interview with PTI Videos.
Narsh added that Hezbollah embodies a movement against the "rogue state" of Israel and cannot be crushed by eliminating its leaders.
In a video message on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country's forces have effectively targeted and eliminated potential successors to the recently deceased Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Hezbollah formally came into existence in 1985 to resist the "Israeli invasion of Lebanon".
"Hezbollah operates within the established political system in Lebanon. They are a political party, represented in both the cabinet and the parliament," the ambassador said, noting that Hezbollah also has an armed wing.
The Lebanese ambassador said the brutal war waged by Israel, involving advanced weaponry and banned munitions, has left over 2,100 dead, 11,000 injured, and 2.2 million individuals displaced, creating a dire humanitarian situation in Lebanon.
"The situation is escalating and spiralling toward what may become an all-out regional war. Unfortunately, we are facing this troubling stage of conflict because Israel has not been held accountable for its criminal policies, war crimes, and expansionist actions against its neighbours," the ambassador said.
Narsh said Lebanon has been urging world capitals, including New Delhi, since October last year to prevent the conflict from escalating into a regional war.
Amid the rise in Israeli attacks, French President Emmanuel Macron last week announced that France will host an international conference this month to raise humanitarian aid for Lebanon and improve security in its southern regions.
"We are currently organising medical supplies to Lebanon from India, including medicines and medical equipment," the ambassador said.
He called upon India to exert more pressure on Israel to comply with international laws and UN resolutions.
"Netanyahu is out of control, engaged in killing and a destruction spree, which is very dangerous. Someone has to stop Netanyahu," he said.
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SP has ended contract with I-PAC due to fund constraints: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said his party has severed its association with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) due to a lack of funds.
He dismissed speculations that the termination of contract was because of recent election results.
Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said the party had engaged I-PAC for a brief period ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections but could not continue the arrangement.
"Yes, we had an association. They worked with us for a few months, but we are not able to continue because we do not have that kind of funding," he said.
The I-PAC is a political consultancy firm known for managing major election campaigns across the country.
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has also been associated with the organisation in the past and has worked with multiple parties, including the BJP and the Congress.
In a lighter vein, Yadav took a swipe at the ecosystem of political consultancies. "We thought that if we have to work with a 'winning agency', then there are several big companies."
He said that some people suggested conducting surveys, hiring another firm, keeping a social media company, and even engaging agencies for negative campaigning against other parties.
"There are one or two more companies whose names are not yet known. I can get those for you as well," Yadav said.
Yadav rejected the suggestion that the decision to end the deal was influenced by recent election outcomes in states such as West Bengal.
"There is no such thing. Do not ask questions based on baseless reports. That is not true," he said.
"This is not the reason for ending the agreement. We simply do not have enough funds. If you (the media) give us funds, we can hire another company," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
