After Shashi Tharoor, will Congress now call Salman Khurshid as BJP’s super spokesperson?

Salman Khurshid, Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor-Photo- ANI

The dilemma for Congress is whether the party should take action against Salman Khurshid or remain silent. Obviously, taking action will increase internal discontent. If action is not taken, BJP will propagate it as Congress’ weakness and directionlessness.

No matter how much the opposition asks for the figures of India’s loss and profit in Operation Sindoor, the party is not able to understand how to deal with the googly thrown by the BJP government at the Congress. Congress leaders who are part of the all-party delegation abroad are singing praises of the Modi government one after the other. It was first started by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.

After Tharoor, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid has also said something that the Congress will not be able to digest. Khurshid has praised the central government’s decision to remove Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir during a meeting in Indonesia. It is obvious that the Bharatiya Janata Party will use Khurshid’s statement to attack the Congress.

The BJP presented it as Congress’s internal contradiction and leadership’s weakness. While Congress leaders described Khurshid’s statement as deviating from the party line. It is obvious that if not today, then tomorrow some Congress leader will definitely call Salman Khurshid a super spokesperson of the BJP like Shashi Tharoor. BJP leader Amit Malviya has taken a dig at Congress and wrote on Instagram, will Congress leaders now call Salman Khurshid as BJP’s super spokesperson?

However, Khurshid has described his statement as being in the national interest and not in support of the BJP. He said that he is representing India on the international forum and not any party. This stance gives him some protection within the party. However, leaders like Rashid Alvi have demanded action, indicating that a section of the party is in favour of taking strict action against him.

Statements by Salman Khurshid and Shashi Tharoor

Recently, Salman Khurshid, as a member of the all-party delegation to Indonesia, said that the removal of Article 370 ended the notion of separatism in Jammu and Kashmir and brought prosperity there. To make his point, he mentioned the 65% voting in the elections held after 2019 in Jammu and Kashmir and the formation of an elected government as a positive change. This statement was different from the traditional stand of the Congress. Khurshid had said in 2019 that Article 370 had shown the way to connect Jammu and Kashmir with India, and its removal was a wrong decision.

Similarly, Shashi Tharoor has also been in the news in recent times for making statements deviating from the party line. Tharoor also praised some of the policies of the central government in the context of Operation Sindoor and Article 370, after which the Congress taunted him by calling him BJP’s super spokesperson. BJP spokesperson Shahzad Poonawala and IT cell chief Amit Malviya have presented the statements of Khurshid and Tharoor as a challenge to the Congress leadership, especially Rahul Gandhi.

Congress’s internal politics and contradictions

Due to continuous defeat in elections, the Congress party has been struggling with internal strife and questions raised about leadership for a long time. In 2020, a letter written to Sonia Gandhi by 23 senior leaders (G-23) demanded organizational reforms, which also included the names of leaders like Salman Khurshid and Shashi Tharoor. This group was demanding a more democratic process and active leadership in the party. Obviously, Rahul Gandhi and the leaders close to him saw this group as a rebellion against the party.

The recent statements of leaders like Khurshid and Tharoor further highlight this internal discontent. A section of the Congress, which includes leaders like Jairam Ramesh and Rashid Alvi, is angry with Khurshid’s statements. Rashid Alvi said that action should be taken against leaders who praise the BJP, because their attitude weakens the party. On the other hand, Khurshid described his statement as a reaction given in national interest, and not a statement given in support of the policy of any political party. He said that we have come to represent India, not any political party.

The dilemma for the Congress is whether the party should take action against Khurshid or remain silent. Obviously, taking action will increase internal discontent. If action is not taken, the BJP will propagate it as the weakness and directionlessness of the Congress.

BJP’s strategy and taunt of super spokesperson

BJP has used the statements of Khurshid and Tharoor as a weapon against Congress. BJP spokesperson Shahzad Poonawala said, Salman Khurshid also admits that ‘pro-Pakistan’ was increasing due to Article 370. Amit Malviya raised the question whether Congress will target Khurshid like Tharoor. This strategy of BJP is to surround Congress on the basis of statements of its own leaders, so that the unity of the party can be questioned.

BJP tries to show Congress leaders standing against the party on the basis of their own statements by the taunt of ‘super spokesperson’. This taunt was first used for Shashi Tharoor, and now it is being repeated after Khurshid’s statement. This move of BJP not only highlights the internal differences of Congress, but also shows that it wants to use every opportunity to weaken the unity of the opposition.

History of Salman Khurshid and his position

Salman Khurshid is a veteran politician and former foreign minister who has played an important role in the Congress for a long time. His image has been that of an intellectual and thoughtful leader. However, some of his statements have created controversy in the past as well. For example, in 2018, he said at Aligarh Muslim University that the Congress has blood stains of Muslims on its hands. After which the party had to give clarification.

In 2024, there was a controversy over Khurshid’s statement in which he said that conditions like Bangladesh can happen in India too. BJP strongly opposed this statement and termed it anarchist. BJP presented it as Congress’s anti-India mentality. These examples show that Khurshid’s statements often deviate significantly from the party line, due to which he gets embroiled in controversies.

Will Congress be able to call Khurshid BJP’s super spokesperson

The question is whether Congress will call Salman Khurshid BJP’s super spokesperson like Shashi Tharoor? At present, there are clear differences in the Congress regarding leadership and strategy.

Rahul Gandhi and his close leaders, like Jairam Ramesh, have repeatedly opposed the policies of the BJP, especially on issues like Article 370 and Operation Sindoor. The statements of leaders like Khurshid and Tharoor are different from Rahul Gandhi’s stance, which a section of the party sees as rebellion. However, there is also a big difference between Shashi Tharoor and Salman Khurshid. Congress will not treat Salman Khurshid like Shashi Tharoor at any cost. The reason for this is that Khurshid is a Muslim. Calling Khurshid a super spokesperson can be risky for the party, as this can deepen internal differences.

The BJP is trying to capitalise on this issue as much as possible. Spokespersons like Shehzad Poonawala and Sambit Patra have presented Khurshid’s statement as a sign of Congress’ weakness. If the Congress calls Khurshid a super spokesperson, it will further strengthen the BJP’s narrative as it will show that the Congress is unable to control its leaders.