India has no coherent foreign policy, Centre follows ad hoc approach: Salman Khurshid

Chairperson, Foreign Affairs Department INC, Salman Khurshid speaking at the Bharat Summit 2026 at HICC in Hyderabad on Friday.

Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid criticised the Narendra Modi government’s foreign policy, alleging that the country lacked a coherent and structured approach to international relations, and that the government was following ad hoc policies.

Speaking to reporters, along with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and his Cabinet colleagues on Friday, he said that the government appeared to lack a consistent policy framework. “There is no structure to the policy. The government does not think two steps ahead. It is switching from one policy to another rather easily,” he said, arguing that foreign policy required continuity, strategic foresight and clarity.

Referring to India’s relations with the United States, Iran, Russia and China, Mr. Khurshid said the government’s approach was increasingly transactional rather than guided by long-term national interests.

He questioned India’s response to the sinking of an Iranian vessel in waters close to the country, adding that India’s traditionally close relationship with Russia had appeared to come under strain at times.

On China, he said India should pursue friendly relations but not at the cost of its sovereignty and dignity. He accused the government of failing to provide clarity on several important foreign policy questions and avoiding meaningful debate in Parliament.

Democratic institutions, he said, should provide space for debate, scrutiny and accountability while defending the Bharat Summit. The summit was providing an opportunity to deliberate on important policy questions, including foreign policy, climate change and global developments.

Drawing a comparison with the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr. Khurshid said Hyderabad should emerge as another important international centre for exchanges on economic policy, development and global affairs.

“We do not want the world to be dictated by only one centre for the exchange of views. We genuinely hope that Hyderabad will become a hub for policy pronouncements, exchanges and debates,” he said.

Bharat Summit should be seen as an opportunity for India to engage with different political, economic and ideological perspectives. The participation of political parties that were in power in several countries demonstrated the international character of the event, he said.