NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) launched a fresh political offensive against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, after former external affairs minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid backed the BJP-led government's handling of Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan , including the abrogation of Article 370 and India's military response under Operation Sindoor.
Reacting to Khurshid’s remarks, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused Gandhi of parroting Pakistani propaganda. "Now, RR 'Ridiculous Rahul' will have to speak. His position is Leader of Opposition, but he is doing the work of a leader of Pakistani propaganda... Now, everything is clear. His own minister is saying that," Poonawalla said.
He alleged that Rahul Gandhi was making decisions based on the advice of party leaders Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, instead of relying on voices like Khurshid’s. Referring to Khurshid’s version of events during ceasefire talks with Pakistan, Poonawalla added: "From the fact that Salman Khurshid mentioned, one thing is clear: RR, who made decisions based on Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera's advice, will have to take Salman Khurshid's advice."
Khurshid, who is part of an all-party delegation currently touring Southeast Asia, said India had shown restraint during the cross-border military escalation. He revealed that the ceasefire was initiated by Pakistan, not India. "It is more than clear to everybody that the call came from the DGMO of Pakistan to the DGMO of India. And we stopped when they said 'Let's stop'... We then didn't send any further attacks on them," he told members of the Indian community in Jakarta.
Khurshid clarified that the shelling from the Pakistani side continued even after hostilities had officially ceased, suggesting a lack of control within Pakistan's military and civilian leadership. “There are factions within the army, each vying with the other to become powerful. Nevertheless, we showed restraint and patience," he said.
In a strong endorsement of India’s approach to Jammu and Kashmir , Khurshid said, “Article 370 was abrogated and it was finally put to an end because so much time has passed… Subsequently, there was election and J&K observed 65% participation in election. There's an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir today.”
Reiterating India’s long-standing position, Khurshid stated, “Nobody can be told to give up a part of your country, Kashmir and we are family together. Nobody can break up our family.”
Speaking to ANI, Khurshid said talks with Pakistan could only happen if there is a verifiable commitment to peace and an end to terror activities. “There is a long-standing unanimous resolution of Parliament of India saying that the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir must be re-vacated and given back to India,” he said.
He also pointed to Pakistan's repeated betrayal of India’s peace overtures, stressing that the Indus Waters Treaty would remain suspended until Islamabad ended its support for terrorism . “The government has said clearly that talks can happen only when the commitment of Pakistan to peace is clear... and that includes the Indus Water Treaty being put in abeyance,” he added.
Khurshid defended India’s retaliatory strikes after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. “We are taking several steps... trying to eliminate the terrorist hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir... when there was a retaliation without escalating any further, we responded... by neutralising the basis from which retaliation was coming,” he said.
He also praised Indonesia’s response to India's diplomatic outreach. “I believe that Indonesia was far more supportive than we were even expecting,” he said, adding that Asean may take up the matter further in its upcoming meetings.
Khurshid said Pakistan’s narrative around the conflict was strongly rejected by Indonesia and other regional leaders. “The so-called narrative that was pushed by the chief of army staff in Pakistan... was completely, completely negated and rejected in our conversations,” he noted.
The all-party delegation, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, includes Aparajita Sarangi (BJP), Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), Brij Lal (BJP), John Brittas (CPM), Pradan Baruah (BJP), Hemang Joshi (BJP), Salman Khurshid, and Mohan Kumar.
The delegations are part of a global diplomatic campaign following Operation Sindoor — launched on May 7 as a retaliatory measure against the Pahalgam attack. The operation targeted terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, reportedly eliminating over 100 militants affiliated with groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Seven such multi-party delegations are travelling to more than 30 countries — including France, Germany, UK, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Brazil, Russia, and South Africa — to highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism and counter Pakistan’s global narrative.
Reacting to Khurshid’s remarks, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused Gandhi of parroting Pakistani propaganda. "Now, RR 'Ridiculous Rahul' will have to speak. His position is Leader of Opposition, but he is doing the work of a leader of Pakistani propaganda... Now, everything is clear. His own minister is saying that," Poonawalla said.
He alleged that Rahul Gandhi was making decisions based on the advice of party leaders Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, instead of relying on voices like Khurshid’s. Referring to Khurshid’s version of events during ceasefire talks with Pakistan, Poonawalla added: "From the fact that Salman Khurshid mentioned, one thing is clear: RR, who made decisions based on Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera's advice, will have to take Salman Khurshid's advice."
#WATCH | Delhi | BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla says, "Now, RR 'Ridiculous Rahul' will have to speak. His position is LoP leader of opposition, but he is doing the work of a leader of Pakistani propaganda. He has been propagating Pakistani propaganda for some time... Now,… pic.twitter.com/F8Qr3rblHI
— ANI (@ANI) May 31, 2025
Khurshid, who is part of an all-party delegation currently touring Southeast Asia, said India had shown restraint during the cross-border military escalation. He revealed that the ceasefire was initiated by Pakistan, not India. "It is more than clear to everybody that the call came from the DGMO of Pakistan to the DGMO of India. And we stopped when they said 'Let's stop'... We then didn't send any further attacks on them," he told members of the Indian community in Jakarta.
Khurshid clarified that the shelling from the Pakistani side continued even after hostilities had officially ceased, suggesting a lack of control within Pakistan's military and civilian leadership. “There are factions within the army, each vying with the other to become powerful. Nevertheless, we showed restraint and patience," he said.
In a strong endorsement of India’s approach to Jammu and Kashmir , Khurshid said, “Article 370 was abrogated and it was finally put to an end because so much time has passed… Subsequently, there was election and J&K observed 65% participation in election. There's an elected government in Jammu and Kashmir today.”
Reiterating India’s long-standing position, Khurshid stated, “Nobody can be told to give up a part of your country, Kashmir and we are family together. Nobody can break up our family.”
Speaking to ANI, Khurshid said talks with Pakistan could only happen if there is a verifiable commitment to peace and an end to terror activities. “There is a long-standing unanimous resolution of Parliament of India saying that the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir must be re-vacated and given back to India,” he said.
He also pointed to Pakistan's repeated betrayal of India’s peace overtures, stressing that the Indus Waters Treaty would remain suspended until Islamabad ended its support for terrorism . “The government has said clearly that talks can happen only when the commitment of Pakistan to peace is clear... and that includes the Indus Water Treaty being put in abeyance,” he added.
Khurshid defended India’s retaliatory strikes after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. “We are taking several steps... trying to eliminate the terrorist hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir... when there was a retaliation without escalating any further, we responded... by neutralising the basis from which retaliation was coming,” he said.
He also praised Indonesia’s response to India's diplomatic outreach. “I believe that Indonesia was far more supportive than we were even expecting,” he said, adding that Asean may take up the matter further in its upcoming meetings.
Khurshid said Pakistan’s narrative around the conflict was strongly rejected by Indonesia and other regional leaders. “The so-called narrative that was pushed by the chief of army staff in Pakistan... was completely, completely negated and rejected in our conversations,” he noted.
The all-party delegation, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, includes Aparajita Sarangi (BJP), Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), Brij Lal (BJP), John Brittas (CPM), Pradan Baruah (BJP), Hemang Joshi (BJP), Salman Khurshid, and Mohan Kumar.
The delegations are part of a global diplomatic campaign following Operation Sindoor — launched on May 7 as a retaliatory measure against the Pahalgam attack. The operation targeted terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, reportedly eliminating over 100 militants affiliated with groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Seven such multi-party delegations are travelling to more than 30 countries — including France, Germany, UK, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Brazil, Russia, and South Africa — to highlight India's zero-tolerance policy on terrorism and counter Pakistan’s global narrative.
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