"Needle In Haystack": Salman Khurshid On Finding "Good" In PM's Work

Finding something good in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done is like looking for a needle in a haystack, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid said on Sunday, days after some party leaders called for praising PM Modi.

Mr Khurshid also said the Congress has "very serious concerns" about how the country is being run.

His remarks come days after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Modi's governance model was not a "complete negative story" and not recognising his work and demonising him all the time was not going to help.

Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Abhishek Manu Singhvi had also backed Mr Ramesh over the remarks, saying the prime minister should be praised for doing the right things.

"From my point of view, it would be (like) looking for a needle in a haystack to find something good that he (Modi) has done," Mr Khurshid told PTI in an interview.

On the remarks by Mr Ramesh and other leaders calling for not demonising PM Modi, the former Union minister said he would not like to give "one-on-one" responses as it would create more confusion.

"He (Ramesh) has said what he had to say. Each one of us articulates things in a manner which is suitable (to oneself). As I said, for me saying something nice about Mr. Modi would be like looking for a needle in a haystack," he said.

Talking about the Gandhi family's role in the party going forward, Mr Khurshid said it is a ground reality that they are the "fulcrum" of the Congress.

"Irrespective of what the BJP might say, no matter what the results may have indicated, we still believe they (the Gandhi family) are head and shoulders high above most of us," the 66-year-old leader said.

On whether Sonia Gandhi assuming charge as interim Congress chief had put an end to uncertainty and infighting prevailing in the party, Mr Khurshid said he hopes so.

"The party workers were hoping that Sonia Gandhi would come back for good, but the indication she has repeatedly given is that it is a "very temporary holding operation", Mr Khurshid said.

"I hope that there is a change of mind because the (party) people, although they were very eager that Rahul (Gandhi) continue as the president, are now absolutely convinced that she (Sonia Gandhi) must stay for the near future. It is still a little bit of an imponderable, what will happen, we will have to wait and watch," Mr Khurshid added.