Pinarayi Vijayan, Other Top CPI(M) Leaders Call For Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza Strip

Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan expressed shock over India's decision to abstain from voting in the UN General Assembly on a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Participating in a dharna of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in New Delhi, Vijayan said that by not condemning the massacre of Palestinian people, India is being "complicit" in this.

"It's really shocking that the Government of India has gone to the extent of abstaining from the discussion on the UN resolution, supporting Israel.... We have stooped to the level of becoming an ally of this nexus," he said on Sunday. 

"What we are witnessing today is a brutal massacre of Palestinian people... Innocent people are being killed.... If we do not condemn this massacre we are being complicit in this," he said.

Vijayan said India's support to the Palestinian cause emerged as a national consensus and the country abstaining from the vote "violates this consensus. It's a complete U-turn from the stand."

The Kerala chief minister also called for an immediate ceasefire.

Top CPI(M) leaders, including members of the Polit Bureau and the Central Committee, on Sunday staged a dharna at the party headquarters here in solidarity with Palestinian people.

What did other Left leaders say?

"CPI(M) is of the view that the barbarity on Palestinians by Israel should be stopped immediately. We cannot tolerate such atrocities (in Gaza)," says CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury.

"The attack on the West Bank shows the intention of Israel. Does Hamas exist in the West Bank that attacks have been carried out there? Israel is doing all this with the support of the US," says CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat during the protest against the situation in Gaza.