One senior Congress leader explained: “What Khurshid did is nothing comparable to the BJP’s poisonous anti-Muslim CDs distributed during the 2007 Assembly election. Khurshid has not violated any law and his talk of Muslim reservation and welfare is perfectly in tune with the Congress philosophy.”

Officially, Congress media department chairperson Janardan Dwivedi said: “The Election Commission is a constitutional body. The Congress always wants that all Congressmen should speak as per the norms of public life and the law of the land.”

Responding to a query about the general statement made by the party that appeared to spare Khurshid, one senior leader insisted: “But there is an element of disapproval.”

But other sources pointed out that the “disapproval” was barely for the record and intended more at defending the party in future discourses on the commission’s independence and should not be seen as censure of the law minister.

On the contrary, Khurshid appears to enjoy the backing of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the rest of the party as he is performing an assigned task of wooing the Muslim voters. In the process, if he emerges as a popular Muslim leader, the party will take that as a bonus.

Openly defending Khurshid, the Congress’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge, Digvijay Singh, said every political party has the right to talk about their programmes during election campaigns and it was not correct to press charges like these against political leaders. “With great humility, I would like to ask the EC that if political outfits are not allowed to speak about their agenda, then the party manifesto should also be banned,” he said.

Khurshid said in Farrukhabad that he was not in conflict with the commission but there was nothing wrong in talking about the party’s principles and philosophy. “Read our manifesto,” he told reporters, asked why was he persisting with his statements. Yesterday, too, Khurshid asked voters if he should stop talking of the welfare of the poor and the Muslims only because of the fear of the commission.

However, some Congress leaders felt that the law minister should contextualise his pro-Muslim promises and avoid naming the commission in his rhetoric as it strengthens the perception of confrontation.

“He must speak on Muslims and reservation but keep the EC out of his discourse. He needs to balance more than others, being the law minister of the country. What he is saying is unnecessary and may not help the party,” one AICC functionary said. Other leaders feel the poll panel had overreached itself and the decision to approach the President was uncalled for.

One party MP said: “What else a leader will say in an election rally other than declaring his policy intents and programmes? Talking about the poor, weaker sections of society and promising their welfare are the common ingredients of electioneering. Aren’t BJP leaders saying mandir wahin banayenge? This is a strange spectacle of EC’s partiality.” Khurshid has explained to the Prime Minister and the party leadership that he had not crossed his limits and would uphold the legal principles while campaigning. The Congress appears to be appreciating his position and enjoying Khurshid’s turbulent brush with the rough and tumble of realpolitik.