Left slams India's abstention on Gaza resolution, CPI(M) announces protest on Sunday
New Delhi (PTI): India's abstaining from voting on a United Nations resolution calling for a truce in Gaza is "shocking" and shows that it is shaping its foreign policy as "a subordinate ally of US imperialism," the CPI(M) and the CPI said in a joint statement on Saturday.
The CPI(M) said it will hold a protest on Sunday at its AKG Bhawan office to express solidarity with Palestine.
In the joint statement titled 'Stop this Genocidal Aggression in Gaza,' Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI General Secretary D Raja said India's move negates its longstanding support to the Palestinian cause.
"It is shocking that India abstained on a Resolution overwhelmingly adopted by the UN General Assembly calling for a humanitarian truce titled 'Protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations' in the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza," they said.
"India's abstention on a resolution that was overwhelmingly adopted shows the extent to which Indian foreign policy is being shaped by being a subordinate ally of US imperialism and the Modi government's actions for consolidating the US-Israel-India nexus. This negates India's longstanding support to the Palestinian cause," they said.
The two Left parties said as the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution, Israel stepped up its "genocidal air and ground attacks in the Gaza strip."
It also cut off all communications in Gaza which is home to 2.2 million Palestinians, they said, and called for an immediate ceasefire.
"Respecting the overwhelming mandate of the UN General Assembly there must be an immediate ceasefire. The United Nations must reenergize itself to implement the mandate of the Security Council for a 2-State solution with pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of State of Palestine," they said.
The decision to hold the protest on Sunday was taken in an ongoing session of the Central Committee of the CPI(M). The three-day meet which started on Friday will conclude on Sunday.
The protest will be attended by members of the Central Committee and the Polit Bureau of the party.
The 193 members of the UNGA, which met in a resumed 10th Emergency Special Session, voted on the draft resolution submitted by Jordan and co-sponsored by more than 40 nations including Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, Russia, and South Africa.
The resolution was adopted with 120 nations voting in its favour, 14 against it, and 45 abstaining. Besides India, countries that abstained from voting, included Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Ukraine, and the UK.
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Gehlot changes profile pic to 'Save Aravalli', asks Centre to reconsider definition
Jaipur (PTI): Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Thursday urged the Centre to reconsider its definition of the Aravallis, warning that any damage to the mountain range posed a serious threat to the ecological future of north India.
Gehlot, a former Rajasthan chief minister, changed his social media profile picture in support of the nationwide 'SaveAravalli' campaign amid growing debate over mining and environmental safeguards in the Aravalli Range.
It was his symbolic protest against the new interpretation under which hills lower than 100 metres are no longer being recognised as part of the Aravalli system, he said.
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"The Aravalli cannot be judged by tape measures or height alone. It must be assessed by its ecological importance," Gehlot said, adding that the revised definition raised "a big question" over the future of north India.
Appealing to the Centre and the Supreme Court, Gehlot said the issue must be reconsidered in the interest of future generations and environmental security. He also urged citizens to participate in the campaign by changing their display pictures online to draw attention to the issue.
He said the Aravalli range functioned as a natural green wall against the expansion of the Thar desert and extreme heatwaves, protecting Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Opening up smaller hills and so-called gap areas for mining would allow desertification to advance rapidly, he warned.
Gehlot also flagged concerns over air pollution, saying the hills and forests of the Aravallis acted as the "lungs" of the National Capital Region by checking dust storms and absorbing pollutants.
"When pollution levels are so alarming even with the Aravalli standing, one can imagine how disastrous the situation will be without it," he said.
Highlighting the water crisis, the former chief minister said the rocky terrain of the Aravallis played a crucial role in groundwater recharge by channelising rainwater underground.
"If the hills are destroyed, drinking water shortages will intensify, wildlife will disappear and the entire ecology will be pushed into danger," he said.
Gehlot argued that, from a scientific perspective, the Aravallis was a continuous chain and that even smaller hillocks were as vital as higher peaks.
