New Delhi, Aug 20 In a key organisational reshuffle, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday appointed senior leader and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid as the Chairman of the party’s Foreign Affairs Department. The appointment comes days after veteran leader Anand Sharma stepped down from the post to facilitate the reconstitution of the department and enable the induction of younger leaders.
Apart from Khurshid’s appointment, the party also named Brijendra Singh and Arathi Krishna as Vice-Chairpersons of the department. The announcement was made through an official release by Congress General Secretary, Organisation, K.C. Venugopal, who also conveyed the party’s appreciation for Sharma’s contribution during his tenure.
The Congress leadership had been expected to revamp the department as part of broader efforts to rejuvenate its organisational structure. Sharma, a former Union Minister who held portfolios such as Commerce and Industry, and External Affairs in previous UPA governments, had led the Foreign Affairs Department since its last reconstitution.
On August 10, Sharma formally resigned from the post in a letter to the Congress President and the Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson. "In my considered view, the Committee needs to be reconstituted to bring in younger leaders of potential and promise. That will ensure continuity in its functioning," he wrote. "Expressing my gratitude to the party leadership for having entrusted me with this responsibility, I am submitting my resignation… to facilitate its reconstitution."
Khurshid, who now takes over the key department, is a seasoned politician with extensive experience in both governance and diplomacy. He held several prominent portfolios, including Corporate Affairs, Water Resources, Minority Affairs, Law & Justice, and, notably, External Affairs during the UPA regime. His appointment is indicative of the Congress’s intent to strengthen its foreign policy discourse.
His deputies are Brijendra Singh, a former IAS officer and former Member of Parliament from Hisar, and Arathi Krishna, currently serving as Deputy Chairman of the NRI Forum, Karnataka.
The reconstitution of the Foreign Affairs Department is part of an ongoing internal reform process within the Congress as it prepares for upcoming political tasks. The inclusion of both veteran and emerging leaders aims to strike a balance between institutional continuity and generational transition within the party’s policy-making structures, say party sources.
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