Salman Khurshid

Salman Khurshid
Minister of External Affairs
In office
28 October 2012 – 26 May 2014
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Preceded by S. M. Krishna
Succeeded by Sushma Swaraj
Minister of Law and Justice
In office
28 May 2011 – 28 October 2012
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Preceded by Veerappa Moily
Succeeded by Ashwani Kumar
Personal details
Born (1953-01-01) 1 January 1953
Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India
Nationality Indian
Political party Indian National Congress
Spouse(s) Louise Khurshid
Alma mater University of Delhi
St Edmund Hall, Oxford

Salman Khurshid Alam Khan (born 1 January 1953) is an Indian politician, designated senior advocate, eminent author and a law teacher. He was the Cabinet Minister of the Ministry of External Affairs. He belongs to the Indian National Congress. He is a lawyer, and a writer[1] who has been elected from Farrukhabad Lok Sabha constituency in the General Election of 2009. He belongs to the Farrukhabad area. Prior to this he was elected to the 10th Lok Sabha (1991–1996) from the Farrukhabad Lok Sabha constituency. He became the Union Deputy Minister of Commerce in June 1991, and later became the Union Minister of State for External Affairs (Jan. 1993 – June 1996).[2] He started his political career in 1981 as an Officer on Special Duty in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) under the prime ministership of Indira Gandhi.

Early life and education

Born in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, he is the son of Khurshed Alam Khan a former Union Minister of External affairs, Government of India, and maternal grandson of Zakir Hussain, the third President of India.

He studied in St. Xavier's High School, Patna,[3] Delhi Public School, Mathura Road.[4] and college at St. Stephen's College, Delhi and St Edmund Hall, Oxford, Oxford, UK (B.A. (English and Jurisprudence), M.A., B.C.L.)[2] He also taught as Lecturer in Law at Trinity College, Oxford.

Political career

He started his political career as an Officer on Special Duty in the Prime Minister's Office, during the Prime Ministership of Indira Gandhi in the early 1980s. Later he became the Deputy Minister of Commerce in the Government of India, and then Minister of State for External Affairs in the Government of India from 1991–1996. During this period he was the Member of Parliament from the Farrukhabad constituency in Uttar Pradesh. In the General Election of 2009 he was once again elected as Member of Parliament from Farrukhabad, winning as a candidate of the Indian National Congress, with 1,69, 351 votes. He became the Union Minister of State (with Independent Charges) of Corporate Affairs and Minority Affairs in the Government of India. He took over as Minister on Friday, 29 May 2009. In the Cabinet reshuffle of 12 July 2011, he was made Cabinet Minister for Law and Justice, and Minority Affairs in the Government of India.

He came 4th and lost his deposit in the Lok Sabha elections 2014 contesting from Farrukhabad.

Political Offices

He has been the President of the Uttar Pradesh Pradesh Congress Committee twice. He was also the President of the Delhi Public School Society and Dr. Zakir Hussain Study Circle and PATRON of Mother Teresa Memorial Trust/Mother Teresa Foundation.

Political Views

Salman Khurshid appeared for Students Islamic Movement of India, a group banned in India and frequently charged by Indian authorities with terrorist activities, as its defence lawyer, appealing the 2002 ban; in June 2006 the Supreme Court of India rejected the appeal noting "the appeal against the ban should be first argued before the tribunal established for the purposes". Asked about his appearance, Khurshid said :

I would refuse a client only when I am personally satisfied that taking up the case would go against the ethics of the profession. A lawyer has to appear for an accused. It is my constitutional duty. A party and the government too cannot pre-judge an organisation.[5]

Khursid with John Kerry, Secretary of State, United States in 2013, during his term as the External affairs minister

In 2009, incumbent president Sirajuddin Qureshi beat Salman Khurshid for the presidency of India Islamic Cultural Centre.[6] Campaign for the election was very intense which became high-profile with Khurshid's entry in the fray.[7]

Writings

Khurshid has been deeply involved in writing and acting in plays since his student days in Delhi and Oxford. He is the author of the play Sons of Babur, published by Rupa & Co., which has been staged, with Tom Alter in the lead role, at the Red Fort in Delhi.

Salman Khurshid has also been the editor of "The Contemporary Conservative: Selected Writings of Dhiren Bhagat" [8] published in 1990.

Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust and Operation Dhritrashtra

Khurshid and his wife Louise run the Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust for physically challenged people.[9] The trust was founded on 30 October 1986 and commemorates the third President of India, Zakir Hussain, who is the maternal grandfather of Salman Khurshid.[10] The Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust is registered at Khurshid's residence as an NGO and Louise is its chief functionary officer.[11][12] It has been operating in many states and receiving substantial grants from several important ministries of the government of India.[9] As of 2012, it is chaired by Sayeeda Alam, Khurshid's father. In October 2012, India Today and Aaj Tak alleged that the Khurshids had embezzled funds, a charge denied by them. The ruling party Congress strongly defended Khurshid, but former social activist Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Aadmi Party began what he called "indefinite agitation". Angered by the allegations, Khurshid called Arvind Kejriwal a 'guttersnipe'.[13] About 7.1 million was allegedly used by Salman Khurshid which was funded by the government to buy tricycles for the disabled.[14][15][10][15][10][16][17][18][19]

"Operation Dhritrashtra"[20] was an investigation conducted by TV news channel Aaj Tak which alleged financial misappropriation by the trust. The investigation conducted by Deepak Sharma,[21] Editor, SIT, India Today Group, revealed tha it forged signatures and stamps of senior officials of several districts in Uttar Pradesh.[22][23] Aaj Tak gathered documentary evidence of the alleged forgery and false reporting from at least ten districts in the state. The Uttar Pradesh Economic offence wing[24] investigated the matter.[25][26][27][28] Louise filed a defamation case against the TV Today news broadcaster, which had publicised the allegations.[29]

References

  1. ↑ "External affairs minister". 20 January 2013. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016.
  2. 1 2 Biography Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Lok Sabha.
  3. ↑ "Khurshid nostalgic over Patna". The Times of India. 21 October 2011. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013.
  4. ↑ Salman Khurshid – Introduction of a Modern Leader Archived 29 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ Security check Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. The Indian Express – 16 July 2006
  6. ↑ Sirajuddin Qureshi wins IICC election Archived 4 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ Campaign for India Islamic Cultural Centre elections getting intensified Archived 4 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  9. 1 2 "Arvind Kejriwal takes on Salman Khurshid again, presents counter proof". The Indian Express. 15 October 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 Sharma, Deepak (14 October 2012). "First letter from India Today group to Salman Khurshid on September 2, 2012". India Today online. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  12. ↑ "Disabled people protest against Salman Khurshid". Times of India. RANCHI. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Khurshid fumes at 'guttersnipes' Kejriwal & company – The Times of India". The Times of India.
  14. ↑ "Disabled people protest against Salman Khurshid – The Times of India". The Times of India.
  15. 1 2 Reddy, B. Muralidhara (14 October 2012). "Khurshid flaunts photos to show camps for disabled were held". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  16. ↑ Mathur, Swathi. "34 district officials accuse Khurshids Trust of forgery". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  17. ↑ Pandey, Alok (13 October 2012). "Draft CAG report points to irregularities, 'suspected fraud' in Salman Khurshid's trust". NDTV news. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  18. ↑ PTI (15 October 2012). "Khurshid returns to Delhi, vows to fight back legally". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  19. ↑ IANS (13 October 2012). "Arvind Kejriwal announces indefinite agitation till Salman Khurshid is arrested". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  20. ↑ Deepak Sharma. "Operation-dhritrashtra-how-we-did-it". India Today Group. New Delhi. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  21. ↑ "Deepak Sharma". Aaj Tak News. New Delhi. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  22. ↑ "Operation Dhritrashtra: NGO headed by Union Minister Salman Khurshid's wife comes under scanner for 'forgery'". India Today Group. New Delhi. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  23. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  24. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  25. ↑ Ashish Tripathi. "Salman Khurshid Trust case". Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  26. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  27. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  28. ↑ PTI. "UP: HC notice to Salman Khurshid-run Trust". Lucknow. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  29. ↑ "Govt mulls action against Zakir Hussain Trust". Hindustan Times. 15 October 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
Political offices
Preceded by
Veerappa Moily		 Minister of Law and Justice
2011–2012		 Succeeded by
Ashwani Kumar
Preceded by
Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna		 Minister of External Affairs
2012–2014		 Succeeded by
Sushma Swaraj
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.