Days after Germany criticised Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair’s arrest, former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid cautioned the government on Sunday, 10 July against adopting a “touch-me-not” attitude.

He asserted that the administration should put more effort into ensuring that there is no justification for any unfavorable sentiments.

“We have an opinion about what is happening in other countries, they have an opinion about what is happening in our country. If we don’t want an adverse opinion we must show the best side of us. We must ensure that there is no reason for an adverse opinion,” Khurshid was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

He said, “But, I think there are certain limits within which we have to be attentive to the world’s opinion,” while expressing his belief that no outside entity should overtly interfere in internal concerns.

Speaking to PTI, Khurshid further said, “If he was a silent PM that would be another matter but he is not a silent PM, he speaks, so why does he not speak on this. Why does he not say ‘let us come together, this country cannot succeed if we remain divided.”

The former Union minister continued by saying that it was getting harder and harder to speak out because of the “foreboding” implications.

“You don’t get bail immediately, if everyone has to go to the Supreme Court…that is a worrisome thing,” he said.

The Congress leader was also asked about the unity of Opposition parties on the road to the 2024 general elections, to which he said that the the parties are facing a “very clever adversary,” and if they don’t act quickly enough they will lose the advantage.

“History will not forgive those who fail,” Khurshid said while expressing that a unified Opposition is imperative to ‘save the country,’ PTI reported.

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair was arrested on 27 June over an “objectionable tweet” he had posted in 2018. An anonymous Twitter account had raised a complaint against the tweet, tagging the Delhi Police.