Nitin Gadkari strongly deplores Sharad Pawar's statement on Israel-Hamas war

New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday strongly deplored Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar's statement on Israel-Hamas war and said that "the gravity of the situation necessitates a unified front against terrorism".

"I strongly deplore the irresponsible statement made by Sharad Pawar Ji, in which he questioned PM Narendra Modi Ji's unequivocal condemnation of the recent terror attack in Israel. India has consistently stood against all forms of terrorism, both domestically and internationally. PM Modi Ji's strong condemnation of the terrorist attack in Israel is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to global peace and security," Nitin Gadkari said in a post on X.

He further said, "It is imperative for senior politicians like Sharad Pawar Ji to comprehend that the interest of the nation and national security should never be marred by political considerations. National security is a paramount concern, and there should be unity and consensus when it comes to safeguarding the well-being of our nation. The gravity of the situation necessitates a unified front against terrorism, irrespective of political affiliations or personal opinions."

Earlier on Sunday, October 15, 2023, while addressing a public gathering of party workers in Mumbai, the NCP supremo said that the role of former Prime Ministers of India was "to help Palestine".
"The role of Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was to help Palestine. For the first time, the Prime Minister of this country took the role of Israel. The stand of the NCP should be clear. We stand by the people who originally belonged to that land," Pawar said while speaking in Mumbai.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal earlier today criticized Sharad Pawar for his statement on Israel-Palestine conflict saying that "this rotten mindset has to stop".
He further said that the menace of terrorism has to be condemned in all forms.

"It is very disturbing when a senior leader like Sharad Pawar makes preposterous statements on India's stand on a terror attack in Israel. The menace of terrorism has to be condemned in all forms, in any part of the world. It is a pity that a person who has been India's Defence Minister as well as a Chief Minister many times has such a casual view on issues relating to terror. This rotten mindset has to stop. I hope Pawar ji at least now, thinks of the nation first," Piyush Goyal said in a post on X.

On Piyush Goyal's tweet, NCP leader (Sharad Pawar faction) Jayant Patil said, "As far as I know, External Affairs Ministry has made a statement on Palestine too. He should read that first. I think then he will understand what decision is his Government making."

Noting that the Hamas terror group is perpetrating a double war crime daily, Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "Every day they perpetrate a double war crime, targetting our civilians while hiding behind their civilians, embedding themselves in civilian population and using them as human shields. We have seen the cost of this terrible double war crime against humanity that Hamas has been perpetrating in the last 11 days."
Israeli PM stressed that civilians are unfortunately getting harmed, whereas Israel is legitimately targeting terrorists."Hamas is responsible and should be held accountable for all civilian casualties," he added.

The ministry says 3,478 people have been killed since Israel began bombing the Strip on October 7, in reaction to a Hamas onslaught in which some 1,400 Israelis were massacred.