NEW DELHI: Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Thursday denied a communication gap between him and the party leadership, and maintained that his statements during the global outreach programmes aligned with the party’s stand.
Speaking to this newspaper upon his return as member of one of the seven all-party delegations, Khurshid sought to clear the air on the controversies, pointing out that domestic and global politics were clearly demarcated.
Khurshid’s remarks that the ‘abrogation of Article 370 brought prosperity in Kashmir’ triggered a row after the BJP latched on to the opportunity to slam the Congress.
“How can I support 370, when it’s abrogated? I said ‘end of Article 370 brought prosperity in Kashmir’ because that’s the stated policy. How did the election happen? I didn’t go there to wreck what we were doing. I went there to support them for what they were doing unless it went against a stated position,” said Khurshid.
Khurshid stated he was in constant touch with the party leadership throughout the tour.
Khurshid’s post on patriotism also made headlines. He explained, “I am trying to be a patriot and somebody saying you are going to join the BJP and going against Muslims.”
On Rahul Gandhi’s remarks that PM Narendra Modi succumbed to President Trump’s ceasefire pressure, he said, “Domestic politics had to be separate, and I am glad that everybody there on the other side accepted that these are two separate things.”