India, Aug. 13 -- Israeli envoy Reuven Azar raised eyebrows in diplomatic and political circles on Tuesday by engaging in a public spat with senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and accusing her of "deceit" over herremarks regarding "genocide" in Gaza.

The Congress bristled at the tone and tenor of Azar's comments in a social media post, which were also criticised by leaders of other political parties. The envoy's remarks led to calls by the Congress for an intervention by the Central government.

Priyanka Gandhi, in a scathing attack on the Union government's stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict, said in a social media post: "The Israeli state is committing genocide. It has murdered over 60,000 people, 18,430 of whom were children...