'...by saying since you have come say everything against your party.'
Congress leader Salman Khurshid created ripples on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, when he told the media after a briefing, 'There was no interference by anyone (in cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan). There was no mediation.'
His statement was at variance from the Congress party's stance which stated that there was intervention by US President Donald Trump, who announced on X that he had stopped the India-Pakistan hostilities.
On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan to avenge the deaths of 26 tourists in Pahalgam on April 22 murdered by terrorists from The Resistance Front based in Pakistan.
After the pause in Operation Sindoor, the Government of India decided to send an all-party delegation to 32 countries to project India's viewpoint on terrorism.
The Modi government had proposed the name of Congress leader Salman Khurshid, former external minister, whose name was missing from the list of MPs sent by the Congress party.
"The government is taking me to fight for a common cause, which is terrorism, and now when we are fighting a common cause which is against terrorism, while I am there I will have to go along with what the government is saying," Salman Khurshid tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.
Your statement on Tuesday that 'There was no interference by anyone, there was no mediation' is at variance with your party line.
That was not my statement. It was the briefing statement (of the all-party meeting) which was pinned on me. You cannot pin that statement on me.
My party has many opinions and I cannot go on a government delegation and speak my party's opinion. Whatever I have to speak on my party's position I will speak here in India and not abroad because I am a part of the government delegation representing India.
Can one say that your statement was made on behalf of the government because on social media it is being portrayed that it was your statement?
If it was my statement what was I doing at that briefing? I went to a briefing (of the government) and you cannot expect me to come out and speak out against the briefing.
I said what was told to us at the briefing. Now, whether I agree with that briefing statement or not is not an issue that I can raise at this point of time since I am going to the delegation where my party has told me to go. But, I can't let go my party's point of view.
When I am home I will argue my party's point of view. I did not go to the government briefing to give some different view.
I went to the government's briefing to see what we can do together. And what we can do together is that we can fight terrorism and to persuade the world to fight terrorism.
That is all I did and I wish these social media handles tell me what they want me to do? Do they want me to stand by what I said? Do they want to reject what I have said? Do they want me not to speak to the country at all or they want me to be a dumb observer in the all-party delegation going abroad?
Nobody tells me what I am supposed to do.
It is being portrayed by right-wing social media handles that you are speaking in the Modi government's voice despite being a member of the Congress party.
I know what they are doing, but what do they want me to do? Do they want me to go abroad and speak out against the government?
I am happy to speak against the government but then it is stupid of me to go with them in their delegation and speak against them.
I don't think our democracy has reached that level that they take me abroad for an all-party meet and then tell me to debunk on whatever they are saying.
The government is taking me to fight for a common cause, which is terrorism, and now when we are fighting a common cause which is against terrorism, while I am there I will have to go along with what the government is saying.
I will not say I agree or I disagree because that is not my purpose. It cannot be for the sake of a trip to five countries or to take away from my party's position. It is such a simple thing. Anybody who does not understand this is daft.
It means you will be speaking the government's viewpoint when you are abroad.
When you go abroad you have to be speaking in one voice.
The government should also be a little sensitive. They cannot make me acquiesce in something that my leadership disagrees with. They should quietly take only those areas which we agree on and the agreement is on the fight against terrorism.
The agreement is not about how many aircraft we lost and how many aircraft we didn't lose. The government says we did not lose any aircraft and tomorrow I sit there and don't say anything, then you will say Salman Khurshid did not say anything.
Now, I don't know whether we lost any aircraft or not. That is for discussion between political parties in India but not relevant when we go abroad. What is relevant is we fight against terrorism on which we are on the same page.
Is the BJP using you to spread its agenda against the Congress?
The Congress party did not propose my name; it was the BJP that proposed my name.
My party had a difficult time in saying no because my name was proposed.
Other people's names were proposed and I did not want to go.
I didn't want to be a part of this delegation but I was asked to do it on behalf of the government. The party said please do it on the behalf of the government.
Now, the government cannot use me as a football by saying since you have come say everything against your party.
Am I supposed to do that? Is it fair?
And if I am coming out of the briefing and say exactly the opposite of the briefing, then what is the point of me going into the briefing?
Personally, don't you get the feeling that the government is using you as a ploy against the Congress party?
I have my own confidence in what I am doing, what I am supposed to do in these circumstances.
If these people on social media or BJP don't want this country to have a united front, let them say so.
I can come back from the first country that I go to and say that we do not want a united front.
United front does not mean they walk all over us.
A united front is the need of the hour.
Yes, for the country's integrity, and we will take those agreement areas and push those agreement areas. They should stick to the agreement areas.
What is the brief on your visit abroad?
I have no idea.
Every country we will meet some members of parliament, opinion makers and some ministers.
When we go to those countries Indian ambassadors will be ready with the programme.
At present we do not know whom we will meet and at what level we will be able to meet.
It is felt that the government did not get enough global support when we fought against Pakistan.
You are sending me to a delegation and you cannot expect me to say India did not get enough support.
If I say, 'India didn't do anything', then you have a story stating, 'Salman Khurshid is saying India did not do anything'.
That is why I tell the media, if you want me to say anything that is going to spin out of control, why do you speak to me? Let's forget it.
What is your party's position?
That there was (US) mediation that happened (to stop Operation Sindoor) which is wrong, and against the established ideology of our country. This is our position.
And now if I go out and make this statement, the government will say why don't you travel on your party's delegation. Don't travel on the government's delegation?