Cong defends Khurshid, says not fair to pluck comments out of

Khushid had said Election Commission's model code of conduct made it difficult for parties to win elections

Congress today backed Salman Khurshid over his comments questioning the role of Supreme Court and the Election Commission, which have sparked a row, saying that the External Affairs Minister must have made the remarks in some context.

"I do not know in what context it has been said. It is always said in some context and it is not fair to pluck something out of context.

"Equally, Khurshid, who is a former Law Minister, knows well (what he says) and would in no manner cross the boundary," Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.

Speaking on the 'Challenges of Democracy in India' at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London last night, Khurshid had said that Election Commission's Model Code of Conduct made it difficult for parties to win elections.

"The recent instructions that we received from them (EC) interestingly are that our manifesto must be certain that it does not offer the building of roads, because promise of building roads distorts democratic decision-making.

"You should also not offer drinking water because that distorts decision-making," the senior Congress leader said.

In an apparent reference to the Supreme Court judgement disqualifying convicted lawmakers, Khurshid had said it was "a judge-made law".

He had also said that the "broad philosophical approach" of Election Commission guidelines appears to be that "you should do or say nothing that wins you an election".