Who is he?
Mr. Salman Khurshid is a lawyer and politician hailing from the Farrukhabad region of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. As a member of the Indian National Congress party, Khurshid has been elected to several terms in the Lok Sabha and has held numerous ministerial positions at the state and national level.
Khurshid’s most notable posts include a stint as Cabinet Minister of Water Resources and Minority Affairs (January 2011 to July 2011) and Cabinet Minister of Law, Justice and Minority Affairs (July 2011 to October 2012).
Mr. Salman Khurshid, India's new Minister of External Affairs. Source: Muhammad Mahdi Karim from Wikimedia, used under a creative commons license.
Why is he in the news?
On October 28th, India’s UPA government underwent a large-scale Cabinet reshuffle, replacing 17 of 22 Cabinet Ministers. Among them, Salman Khurshid was appointed the new Minister of External Affairs following the welcomed retirement of veteran minister S.M. Krishna. Khurshid is twenty years younger than his predecessor Krishna, and his appointment makes him the third Indian Muslim to hold the post as Minister of External Affairs. Some speculate that his Muslim heritage could positively influence India’s foreign relations over the next two years.
What can we expect from him ?
Given Khurshid’s background and India’s stable foreign policy track record, many venture that his appointment may change perceptions, but in reality have minimal influence on India’s larger foreign policy vis-à-vis Pakistan, a rising China, and a rebuilding Afghanistan. Khurshid’s posting, along with many others in Singh’s Cabinet, is thought to be a move by the ruling UPA party—in the run-up to the 2014 elections—to breathe life back into the government, in PM Singh’s words ushering in, “a combination of youth and experience.”
