New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who is part of India's international anti-terror diplomatic delegation, on Monday expressed disappointment over people in India focusing on political allegiances while a mission against terrorism is underway.

Khurshid, a former External Affairs Minister, is currently part of a delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha. The team is in Malaysia after visiting Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and Singapore to deliver India’s message against terrorism in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and the launch of Operation Sindoor on 7 May.

Khurshid’s message on social media

Posting on X without naming anyone directly, Khurshid wrote, “When on 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?”

Tharoor faces criticism from within congress

Khurshid's post comes amid criticism faced by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from within the party. Tharoor, who is currently leading one of the seven delegations and is in Brazil, was called a "super spokesperson of BJP" by fellow Congress leader Udit Raj for his remarks, which some perceived as supportive of the BJP-led central government.

Khurshid's Kashmir remarks draw BJP praise

A day earlier, during an interaction with think tanks in Indonesia, Khurshid had said that Kashmir had “major problems” for a long time, and that the abrogation of Article 370 had brought an end to it. His remarks were welcomed by BJP leaders and triggered a fresh round of political debate.

BJP leaders respond

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla responded to Khurshid's remarks, saying, “After Shashi Tharoor, and Manish Tewari, yet another Congress leader has given a reality check and shown the mirror to Congress and INDI-alliance.”

He continued, “Salman Khurshid has said when the all-party delegation is on a mission to expose Pakistan and put India first, some people are still calculating political allegiances. Is it so difficult to be patriotic? This is a strong message to those who doubt India's military and diplomatic efforts.”

Poonawalla also accused the Congress of prioritising the interests of the “parivar”, in a veiled reference to the Gandhi family, over national interest.

“Congress, for the sake of petty political gains, puts party interest, parivar interest above national interest. Hope they will realise that Salman Khurshid is not a super pravakta (spokesperson) of any party; he is putting the nation first. But when will the Congress party do the same?” he said.

He also made an indirect reference to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, saying, “LoP is busy proving how Pakistan is powerful and how India lost.”

Ongoing opposition criticism highlighted

Poonawalla cited recent remarks by opposition leaders such as Congress’ Jairam Ramesh and Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut, saying, “We have seen how Jairam Ramesh said the terrorists are like MPs and MPs are like terrorists... We have seen how Operation Sindoor was called a failure by Sanjay Raut. We have seen how constantly India's armed forces are being undermined by the likes of Rahul Gandhi.”

Amit Malviya, head of the BJP's National Information and Technology Department, also reacted to Khurshid’s post. Tagging it on X, he said, “The sentiment expressed here is both tragic and deeply ironic. It reflects the cost of a warped idea of secularism that the Congress party has long championed, one that confuses the urgent need to confront terror with a compulsive instinct to appease.

“In doing so, they have not only diluted the moral clarity required to fight extremism, but have also compromised national security in the name of vote-bank politics,” he added.

India’s global diplomatic outreach

India has dispatched seven multi-party delegations to key partner nations, including members of the United Nations Security Council, to deliver its message of zero tolerance towards terrorism.

The delegations are led by Baijayant Panda, Ravi Shankar Prasad (both BJP), Sanjay Kumar Jha (JD(U)), Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Shashi Tharoor (Congress), Kanimozhi (DMK), and Supriya Sule (NCP-SP). They are visiting 32 countries and the European Union headquarters in Brussels.

PTI inputs