NCP demands apology from Piyush Goyal, Himanta Biswa Sarma for their remarks on Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule

The NCP on Thursday asked Union minister Piyush Goyal and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to publicly apologise to party leaders Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule for making crass and uncouth comments against them over the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and Indias stand on the issue.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday demanded that Union minister Piyush Goyal and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma publicly apologise to party leaders Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule for making "crass and uncouth" comments against them over the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and India's stand on the issue.

NCP's statement

The NCP's statement came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his condolences to President of Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas over the deaths of civilians at a hospital in Gaza and reiterated India's long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue. The PM told Abbas New Delhi will continue to send humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people.

"Now that our PM Narendra Modi ji has once again officially extended his support to Palestine, Piyush Goyal and Himanta Biswa Sarma must publicly apologize to Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule for making crass and uncouth statements on them," NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said. "If they do not apologize it will be considered that Piyush Goyal and Himanta Biswa Sarma think of our PM Narendra Modi in the same manner and breath as the comments they made on Sharad Pawarand Supriya Sule," he said on social media site X.

BJP leaders' remarks

BJP leaders Goyal and Sarma had slammed Pawar over his comments criticising the Centres stand on the decades-old Palestine issue in the wake of the October 7 Hamas incursions inside Israel. In a post on X, the Union minister said it is very disturbing when a senior leader like Sharad Pawar makes "preposterous" statements on India's stand on a terror attack in Israel. Sarma had also made critical comments on Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar, in context of the conflict in West Asia.

Pawar's comments

Pawar, a former defence minister, had said earlier this week that Modis immediate statements on the Hamas-Israel war seemed to convey a different position from the one articulated by the Ministry of External Affairs MEA. The NCP founder had also spoken about India's long-term support for Palestine cause.

India's stand on Israel-Palestine issue

A day after Hamas launched its incursions, Modi had expressed solidarity with Israel and condemned the terrorist attacks. Later, the MEA described the strikes by Hamas on Israeli cities as terror attacks, but also reaffirmed India's long-standing position, advocating negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine living side-by-side at peace with Israel.

The NCP's demand for an apology from Goyal and Sarma comes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, including civilians. India has called for an immediate ceasefire and a return to dialogue between the two sides.