The Congress held its 84th plenary session yesterday. Amidst the goof-ups and rhetorical remarks made by Sonia Gandhi during her speech, what many failed to notice was a suspicious note from the president of the state of Palestine. The note was also shared by the Congress on its official Twitter handle lending it authenticity. The note was not just a formal/ official comment by the head of a state to the president of an Indian party, but suggested a mischievous bonhomie between the Congress and the Palestinian leadership.
Message on behalf of the President of the State of Palestine to Congress President Rahul Gandhi wishing him and the party well, while appreciating the role of the Congress and past leaders of the Congress for their support of the Palestinian cause. #CongressPlenary #ChangeIsNow pic.twitter.com/l28KeulI1M
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 17, 2018
The note starts by describing the close relationship and co-operation between the PLO and India, and takes a more persuasive tone towards the end. It must be kept in mind that presently, the Government of India maintains extremely close relations with the state of Israel, which is involved in one of the bitterest conflicts with Palestine. Therefore, any indication of bonhomie between Palestine and any national political party of India is bound to irk Israel. This can ultimately give rise to misunderstandings that may be detrimental to India’s interest and its strategic relations with Israel. Israel is not only a natural ally for India but also one of the most valuable strategic partners.
The particularly irksome and suspicious part of the note is the fourth paragraph of the note, where it persuades the Congress Party and its leadership to use its “political influence” in order to advise the government of India to participate in any planned international multi-party peace conference. It goes on to state that such participation would be a contribution to the resolution of Israel-Palestinian conflict. This suggests an active concert between the Palestinian leadership and the Congress Party with regard to long standing border dispute between Israel and Palestine. However, there is overwriting on the note, changing the sentence to the effect that the Congress Party may, with the government of the day, participate in such a conference.
It must be borne in mind that even a state official won’t be unprofessional to the extent of manually changing any typing errors. Wherever rectification is required, any diplomat or state official would definitely consider taking another printout instead of overwriting. Here, we are not talking about an ordinary diplomat or state official, but the head of a state. It is not fathomable that the office of the president of Palestine made such a blunder. There is a high likelihood that the Congress Party changed the contents of the note before uploading it on social media, in order to make it less explicit and avoid public anger.
UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi, former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, and Congress President Rahul Gandhi meet delegates from the Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (UML) & Palestinian Liberation Organization on the sidelines of #CongressPlenary #ChangeIsNow pic.twitter.com/MoyDvUOb96
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 17, 2018
This is not the first time that the Congress Party has given primacy to its political interests over national interest. In fact, it has become habitual for the Congress Party to compromise national or public interest even if it means acting in connivance with other states in order to make electoral gains. Mani Shankar Aiyar’s appeal to the Pakistani media and leadership for aiding the Congress in its fight against the common enemy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a glaring example of the same. Similarly, the meeting of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Vice President Hamid Ansari and Mani Shankar Aiyar with Pakistan envoys prior to the Gujarat elections is another.
It would have been mature of the Congress Party to refrain from uploading such a controversial note, which can be detrimental to India’s growing friendship with the state of Israel. However, it seems we cannot expect any maturity from the dying party. We can only expect glaring instances of political desperation.
