'Periodic pangs of anxiety', Salman Khurshid snubs Kapil Sibal

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal

After Kapil Sibal openly attacked the Congress leadership over the party's poor show in the Bihar Assembly polls, former Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid on Tuesday used couplets of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and said that if "we are explicitly or implicitly willing to compromise with the principles to regain power, we might as well pack up our bags".

"The constant refrain of some persons should not be of aimless introspection, but for reaffirmation of fundamental principles we believe in," Khurshid said.

He said that the words of the last Mughal ruler might be a useful companion for many of his party colleagues who suffer "periodic pangs of anxiety".

Khurshid said if the mood of the electorate is "resistant" to the liberal values the party has espoused and cherished, "we should be prepared for a long struggle rather than look for short cuts to get back into power".

"Being excluded from power is not to be casually embraced in public life, but if it is the result of principled politics, it should be accepted with honour," he said in a Facebook post.

"When we do well, admittedly somewhat infrequently, they take it for granted. But when we underperform, not even do badly, they are quick to bite their nails. By the looks of it, there would be little nails left for future disappointments. Is it really a case of a bad workmen quarreling with their tools?

Khurshid further said in his long Facebook post that the party is perplexed and pained by the continuing misfortunes.

"But then there is something called faith, not necessarily blind, in our destiny. The favourite panacea of doubting Thomases, introspection and collective leadership, might do no collateral damage but is a bit over estimated," he said.

"Our real redemption might be found in understanding the mind of the contemporary citizen, moulded by prevailing circumstances and influenced by a self-serving potion of social envy and suspicion, if not hate, fed by the ruling establishment.

"It is another matter that consolidation of our principled politics, like any cause, requires periodic re-appraisal and re-writing of strategy and logistics. But those cannot be done in the media for our adversaries to check-mate it promptly," he added.

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