‘Is it difficult to be patriotic’: Salman Khurshid hits back at Congress criticism

NEW DELHI//LONDON, June 2: Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who is a part of India’s diplomatic mission abroad, on Monday said it is “distressing” that people back home are calculating political allegiances and asked if it is “so difficult to be patriotic”.
Khurshid, a former external affairs minister, is part of a delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha which is currently in Malaysia after visiting Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and Singapore to convey India’s message against terrorism in the wake of April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor launched on May 7.
Taking to X and without naming anyone, the senior Congress leader said, “When on mission against terrorism, to carry India’s message to the world, it’s distressing that people at home are calculating political allegiances. Is it so difficult to be patriotic?” Khurshid’s cryptic post comes after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor faced attacks from party leaders including Udit Raj who called him a “super spokesperson of BJP” for remarks which were perceived to favour the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. Tharoor is leading one of the seven delegations and is currently in Brazil.
Khurshid’s remarks come a day after he said during an interaction with think tanks in Indonesia that Kashmir had “major problems” for a long time and the abrogation of Article 370 finally put an end to it. The remarks were welcomed by leaders from the ruling BJP and stirred controversy.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla, referring to Khurshid’s remarks, slammed the Congress and other opposition parties, accusing them of overlooking national interest.
“After Shashi Tharoor, and Manish Tewari, yet another Congress leader has given a reality check and shown the mirror to Congress and INDI-alliance,” Poonawalla said.
“Salman Khurshid has said when the all party delegation is on a mission to expose Pakistan putting India first, but some people are calculating the political allegiances. Is it so difficult to be patriotic? This is the resounding slap on those people’s faces who are constantly doubting India’s military might and India’s diplomatic strike,” he said.
He accused the Congress of keeping the interests of the “parivar”, an apparent reference to the Gandhi family, above national interest.
In an apparent reference to Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi, he said, “LoP is busy in proving how Pakistan is powerful and won and how India lost”.
Poonawalla also referred to recent remarks by opposition leaders including Congress’ Jairam Ramesh and Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut.
In-charge of BJP’s National Information and Technology Department Amit Malviya also attacked the Congress. Tagging Khurshid’s post on X, he said, “The sentiment expressed here is both tragic and deeply ironic. It reflects the cost of a warped idea of secularism that the Congress party has long championed, one that confuses the urgent need to confront terror with a compulsive instinct to appease.India has sent seven multi-party delegations to key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council, to convey India’s message of zero tolerance against terrorism.
The delegations are being led by Baijayant Panda, Ravi Shankar Prasad (both BJP), Sanjay Kumar Jha (JDU), Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Shashi Tharoor (Congress), Kanimozhi (DMK) and Supriya Sule (NCP-SP), and are visiting 32 countries and the EU headquarters at Brussels in Belgium.
‘UK STANDS WITH INDIA’
The UK is with India in its efforts to combat terrorism, Indo-Pacific Minister Catherine West told the all-party delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad at a meeting at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London on Monday.
The delegation highlighted India’s resolve against terrorism, which it stressed must be eradicated in the interests of all humanity. Catherine West reiterated the UK’s condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attacks in April and hailed India’s contributions to stability in the Indo-Pacific.
“The delegation reiterated India’s resolve to combat terrorism on its own. They also emphasised that terror remains a threat to all nations, and therefore the world needs to eradicate this scourge in the interests of all humanity,” the High Commission of India said in a social media statement following the meeting.
“The minister reiterated the UKs condemnation of terror attacks in India, the priority it attaches to the India relationship in global strategic and economic terms, in contributing to stability in the Indo-Pacific and to global economic growth. She said that the UK is with India in its efforts; as a nation that has suffered from terror attacks itself, the UK believes that those who commit acts of terror must be brought to justice. All countries must work towards this end,” the statement added. (PTI)