Shashi Tharoor, apart from holding the distinction of been the first Indian to have held a high diplomatic post in the UN and also a ministerial post in the Indian government could also go on to add two more ‘records’ to his name. The first could be – to have the maximum number of followers on twitter in India and second, to have been involved in maximum controversies as minister.
When Shashi Tharoor’s stint at the UN came to an end many though that the suave diplomat cum intellect would go back to the literature world to pursue a career in writing (he has already penned many books). But to everyone’s surprise he decided to enter the big-bad- world of politics, which was drastically different from the world he came
from. But in all fairness to him, he did slug it out in the hinterland of India and won the Lok Sabha seat from Trivandrum, Kerela. He could have easily got a Rajya Sabha seat on a Congress ticket but then a ministerial berth would have remained elusive for a while atleast. But luckily for him the Congress president & the prime minister gave him an important portfolio during his first tenure in the parliament itself. Given his UN background, the minister of state for external affairs seemed the apt post for him.
But from the time he has taken over the role of a minister, Tharoor has made much more headlines than the PM himself and for all the wrong reasons. It all began when he posted a tongue-in-cheek remark on twitter with regards to the ‘austerity’ drive initiated by the PM. Then was his disagreement with the government’s new visa policy which he again tweeted. He was publicly reprimanded by his boss, SM Krishna, the external affairs minister on this issue. On Gandhi Jayanthi he attracted huge criticism for stating that people should be working instead of staying at home. In January this year it was reported that he criticized the foreign policy followed by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. And now his latest remark that Saudi Arabia can play the role of an ‘interlocutor’ between India-Pakistan has added one more to the long list of controversies. Though Tharoor was quick to deny that he never referred to Saudi Arabia playing the role of a mediator but unfortunately for him, the English dictionaries refer to the word ‘interlocutor’ as ‘the man in the middle of the line of performers in a minstrel troupe, who acts as the announcer and banters with the end men’, which in plain English means a ‘mediator’.
Tharoor has been unlucky on some occasions to have been caught on the wrong foot but the fact remains that Tharoor belongs to the club of intellectuals who do not hesitate in elucidating their views and are very bad at party politics. Having been a journalist during early part of his career which was followed by a long spell at the UN and simultaneously having authored books on myriad subjects; it is a tough task for him to undo his way of putting across views in public.
But Tharoor forgot one very basic rule that being a minister he no more enjoys the liberty to practice ‘free speech’ on government policies & decisions in public. So even if he disagrees with some of those decisions, he will have to keep it restricted to the four walls of the ministry. Call it an irony in a democracy or a curtailment of free speech but opposing the government in pubic is like giving a lethal weapon in the hands of the opposition.
Tharoor will quickly have to mend his ways for his own good; otherwise the possibility is high that he might find himself out of favour from the Congress high command. Tharoor is probably one of the most qualified, intelligent & able ministers in the current UPA government. But he might loose the opportunity rather even before his experience of handing foreign policy issues could come handy for the government. Tharoor is a highly influential and renowned name in the global diplomatic world. His strong connections at the UN can be of great significance for India especially on thorny issues when they come up for debates & voting.
Whether Tharoor will escape this latest controversy surrounding him is still to be seen but if he does then, Tharoor should make sure that this was the last of them all, otherwise he will end up as another Mani Shankar Aiyer. Aiyer, the outspoken Congress leader was dropped from the cabinet (it may be noted that he lost the Lok Sabha elections 2009) this time for uttering views contrary to the party & the government during the last UPA tenure. Tharoor has to do a lot damage control if he wants be an integral part of Indian governance. Time is running out for him!!
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