Is it so difficult to be patriotic, asks Khurshid amid Op Sindoor outreach

Salman Khurshid's comments came shortly after he publicly praised the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir

Senior Indian National Congress leader Salman Khurshid, currently a part of an all-party delegation spreading India’s anti-terrorism message abroad, shared a cryptic post on Monday, hinting at frustration over political reactions back home.

 

"When on a 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?" he posted on X. 

 

Khurshid's comments came shortly after he publicly praised the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir during a stop in Indonesia. He is part of the same delegation, led by Janta Dal United (JDU) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, which aimed to present India’s position against terrorism after Operation Sindoor.

 

Later, speaking to news agency ANI, Khurshid clarified the intent behind his post. He said the current moment called for unity, not party politics.

 

"People keep saying, 'what are you doing in a delegation where there are people from the BJP. What are you doing there?' What are we doing here? We are doing here is, what is needed for the country. No matter which party you are from, today what is needed is a single voice to speak in favour of the nation and that is what we are doing here. I think when I say is it so difficult to be a patriot? - that is the question that has to be asked of those who are putting out tweets and saying things that I think I believe are not very encouraging when you want to do something for the nation," he explained. 

 

When Khurshid praised article 370 removal

 

During the delegation's visit to Indonesia, Khurshid had said Article 370 had long created a sense that Jammu and Kashmir was separate from the rest of India. He added that the government's decision to scrap it helped change that perception.

 

"Kashmir had a major problem for a long time. Much of that was reflected in the thinking of the government in an article called 370 of the Constitution, which somehow gave an impression that it was separate from the rest of the country. But, Article 370 was abrogated and it was finally put to an end," he had said.

 

Reaction of Congress on all-party delegations

 

Earlier, the Congress party had expressed displeasure about the way its members were included in the government-led delegation. The party said it felt sidelined in the planning of this outreach effort.

 

Meanwhile, tensions within the Congress flared up when party MP Udit Raj criticised Shashi Tharoor for appearing to praise the government, calling him a "super spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)". Senior leader Jairam Ramesh echoed this sentiment and shared Raj's post on social media.

 

Earlier, Jairam Ramesh had also stirred up a controversy by saying, "terrorists were roaming and MPs were also roaming", referring to the delegation. His remark drew strong criticism from the BJP, which called it "atrocious".