‘Periodic pangs of anxiety’, Salman Khurshid snubs Sibal

New Delhi, Nov 17 : 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?