'The captain decides the bowling changes'
New Delhi, October 13, 2000:Mr Salman Khursheed requested that his Chat timing be advanced by 15 minutes, a request we were unable to accommodate since Mr Ravindra Kumar was slotted for the preceding hour. Mr Khursheed, the thorough gentleman that he is, simply shrugged his shoulders, started his Chat on the scheduled hour, and answered as many questions as possible before departing early for his next engagement.
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1900 IST)
Good evening!
james (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1900 IST)
Is it not a fact that in UP, you guys are finished. The parties that matter are SP,BSP, BJP
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1902 IST)
James: No, that is an illusion. We may not be in the first three but we are not far behind.
abbas (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1859 IST)
Salaam Waleikum, janab, why did Sonia ji remove you from UP where you were doing fine work, saab
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1904 IST)
Abbas: The captain decides the batting order and the bowling changes. That is how cricket is played. Same rules apply in politics too.
Srinivas (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1902 IST)
Hi, Salman ji. Mr Rao might have done it or might not have done it. But even in the future the same situation may arise. What's your party stand on it? How are we going to tackle the situation in case a single party doesn't get majority? The current system does encourage horse trading.
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1906 IST)
Srinivas: You are right. The real issue was not of culpability of an individual or a particular party. It is about the system as a whole. People who do not address this dimension are hypocrites.
Balak (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1908 IST)
The rule of Congress for nearly 45+ years after Independence has lead us nowhere... and we are now here repenting for the sins...and trying to improve
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1909 IST)
Balak: All political parties have good times and bad times. We should not simplify the prevailing political condltions. The important thing is to identify political space, constituency, and stick to it. India needs a party like the Congress party, with obvious changes and reforms. I am confident that our time would come again. And in not too distant a future.
lakshmish (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1908 IST)
You Congress people accuse BJP of playing communal card. But what Rajiv did in Shah Bano episode? Was it not communal?
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1911 IST)
lakshmish: Shah Bano was about a community deciding its own destiny. They were not dictating to another community. Communalism is when you target the other community.
vishal (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1907 IST)
congress cannot keep playing minority card, this is not politics. IS THERE ANY SIN TO BE HINDU IN THIS COUNTRY....
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1914 IST)
Vishal: Certainly not. But please read the Constitution. And look at history. Democracy being a game of numbers, it needs to provide protection to the permanent minority so as not to exclude them from the process of decision making. Please be a Good Hindu. But do not despise another person who has a different religion. Sarv Dharm Sambhav. Do you recall this?
zafar (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1908 IST)
salman sahab, what did you do in field of education for muslims in most populous state of UP.
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1917 IST)
Zafar: Why don't you come and see some of the projects that we have worked on in Farooqkhabad and elsewhere. We have networked with umpteen institutions. I am also working on a major conference on education in Urdu. And use of computer technology.
hindurao (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1909 IST)
When will the congress fulfil Gandhi's wish and close down?
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1920 IST)
Hindurao: You should not read a Saint's message in ordinary terms. Gandhiji was talking of a greater reality and used this formulation to emphasise the limits of what was for the ordinary man and extraordinary political movement.
MOHAN BENGERI (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1921 IST)
Mr. Salman jee what do you say about Aligarh Muslim University's recent problems with the law. It is slowly becoming a terrorists hide out and more students are joining the movement called "Jihad".
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1923 IST)
Bengeri: Please do not believe everything that you hear about the Aligarh Muslim University. There are bad eggs everywhere. You should not paint the whole university black because of a few. Please visit the university and see for yourself what a unique place it is. Some of our best minds were educated there and even better minds are being tutored there now.
Sajid Bhombal (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1922 IST)
Mr. Khursheed, You are such a dynamic, educated and modern looking progressive person, tell us frankly, is it any good to Congress to have a leader like Sonia Gandhi whose only qualification is that she is Rajiv Gandhi's wife. How can you guys take this?
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1926 IST)
Sajid: Political leadership is different from university chair. History and circumstances have a very great role. Political leaders essentially need that special thing that makes them a symbol of what they represent. It is like the market place, you can have a great marketing plan and salesmanship but there is something special about goods that sell.
Sai (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1926 IST)
Mr Khursheed.. why exactly were you removed as UPCC chief? What message do you think the Muslims will get from this decision...?
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1931 IST)
Sai: It was an attempt to overcome some contradictions within our set up so that we could prepare for the forthcoming assembly elections without any impediments. We had done a lot of repair work on the Congress organisation and there wasn't time enough to address the withdrawal symptoms of some unwanted features. I would be travelling extensively in the next few months in support of my successor and to propogate the interesting plans that we have for good governance of UP. I look forward to a dialogue with you at that stage.
BharatShyam (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1927 IST)
Hello Mr Salamn Kursheed,
Can i ask u a q reg not supporting Mr Rao in JMM bribery case as he has done anything if at all for the Party and Country only?
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1936 IST)
Bharat: It is not a question of not supporting Mr Rao. A lot of us feel very sad that this should have happened. It is an unfortunate dimension of Indian politics and we have seen it many times before. So Mr Rao is not alone in his distress. For a person of his experience I am sure that he has a very philosopical outlook on this. Perhaps one day people would stop thinking of the person involved and look at the event and its consequences. The Congress just wants to stop looking back at a period that seems to haunt us and look forward to a meaningful future.
Mr Salman Khursheed (Fri Oct 13, 2000, 1937 IST)
Sorry, but for my other appointments I would have liked to continue my chat with you. Perhaps this would be possible on another day. Thank you all for asking questions
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